Macaroni and cheese was a meal that I loved when I was growing up. No, I’m not talking about the out of the box kind, but my mom’s homemade recipe. Her recipe called for various cheeses, milk, butter, and a little flour. Every bite was creamy and delicious. So with vegetarian/vegan diets I’ve been trying out “cheezy” sauces to replicate this childhood meal. I love this sauce recipe because it sneaks in some veggies and it’s such a vibrant color. Next time you want to have some mac n’ cheese, give this healthier recipe a try!
Butternut Squash Mac N’ Cheese
Servings: 5-6 entree portions
Ingredients:
- 1 box of your favorite pasta (I used Banza brand)
Cheese sauce: (Adapted from Oh She Glows Cookbook)
1 cup roasted butternut squash
1 tbsp butter (oil would work too)
3/4 cup milk (I used almond)
1 tbsp cornstarch (to thicken)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (more on this later)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic and onion powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
Ground salt, pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cut and cube your butternut squash. Place on a lined baking sheet and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, heat the water in a large pot for your pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Once the squash is done cooking, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Place all sauce ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. You may need to do this in batches.
- Add the cooked pasta + sauce ingredients back into the pot and mix until pasta is well coated.
- Optional, but I recommend: roasted veggies, crispy chickpeas, tempeh, or a fried egg.
