Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
This Vegan Mac and Cheese is made with butternut squash for a no-guilt version. The blended hidden veggie makes this sauce so creamy and highly addictive. Kid-friendly and perfect for weekday dinners.
If you haven’t made pasta dishes using vegetables yet, you are missing out! This recipe reaches that same addictive creamy texture compared to the dairy and buttery version, but in a much healthier way. It’s seriously good, you will see. And so easy to make.
Only 6-ingredient sauce!
I’m always on the hunt for easy and quick recipe and this one is one of these. The sauce ingredients are all blended together, you only need extra time to cook the squash on the stove (just do it while you cook the pasta!). It’s the perfect weekday dish: Only 20 minutes and you get a rich and silky pasta dish that all your family will love. Here are the key ingredients:
– The base for the sauce is butternut squash. Amazing, right? Packed with precious b-carotene that helps get that cheezy yellow color, this veggie gets extra creamy when blended with liquid which is perfect for this sauce. Its natural sweetness also balance the other flavors in the sauce.
– Vegan cheezy flavor requires nutritional yeast, there is no way around it. You might have noticed I use this ingredient often in my recipes, especially when looking to bring a deep flavor to creamy dishes.
Still hesitant to make a jump in the nutritional yeast world? I get it, it’s a bit unusual. Once you try it though, you will be convinced. And this recipe would be perfect for a nutritional yeast initiation.
– Clearly, I have a mild cashew addiction. They are simply the best addition to any dishes you want to recreate a dairy-like and creamy dish. Their fat content helps carry the flavor to your taste buds, which you need to make a dish so tasty.
Delicious additions for this Squash Mac and Cheese
– Make it spicy: I love adding spicy ingredients to creamy pasta dish. If you love spicy food too, try adding any hot sauces, marinated jalapeños and red pepper flakes .
– Boost it with more veggies: Contrast colored veggies look very appetizing for this creamy dish. Try green peas, broccolis or asparagus for a classic match. Roast zucchinis and red peppers in the oven or wilt lots of leafy green in a pan before mixing them into the pasta dish. Caramelized onions is also a must to try!
– Add a hint of smokiness: Have you tried BBQ sauce with a cheezy dish? It is so good. The smoky flavor somehow blends so perfectly with that dish.
How to store this vegan pasta dish
This sauce will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be frozen (without the noodles) for up to 3 months.
After thawing, the sauce can loses of its perfect silky texture. If it happened, simply blend the sauce again for a few seconds and it will regain its smooth creamy texture!
I hope you will love this creamy pasta dish as much as I do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and let me know how it was.
Also, check out these recipes for more options on easy to make vegan creamy pasta dishes: Garlic cream primavera pasta bake and Simple Tex-Mex pasta.
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Butternut squash Mac & Cheeze
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Mac and cheeze
- 4 cup butternut squash peeled and cubed (about 1 inch)
- 3/4 cup cashews (raw and unsalted) soaked for at least 2 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp clove of garlic crushed
- 1 to 1 1/4 cup unsweetened and unflavored almond milk
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 to 2 tbsp vegan butter optional
- pasta of your choice cooked according to packaging instructions
Instructions
- Cook the squash in boiling water for about 15-20 or until soft. Drain well.
- To a blender, add the cooked squash, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, almond milk, salt and vegan butter (if using). Blend until very smooth, for about 1 or 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Combine the sauce with the pasta of your choice. Add toppings if desired (see blog for description). Enjoy!
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2 Comments
suzi
how long does this sauce keep in the fridge, you think and have you frozen it before? just made and tasted and it is perfect in both taste and texture!! very pleased 🙂
plantbasedjess
Thanks for your comment Suzi! I have kept this sauce for about 4 days in the fridge and yes, I freeze it all the time! Just transfer the sauce without the noodles to a container after it has cooled down and store it in the freezer for up to about 3 months. If the texture is not as perfectly creamy after thawing it, then blend it once more for a few seconds and it will be back to its normal texture. I will add these informations to the blog post, thanks for the question. I’m glad you loved it 🙂