Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, cut length-ways in half (mine was 4.4 pounds, see note)
- 1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (I use soy milk for added protein) 120ml-180ml (start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed)
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tbs dijon mustard
- 1-1.5 tsp salt
Pasta
- 1 pack pasta (use your favorite) 16oz/500g (see note for pasta suggestions)
Instructions
Roast the Butternut Squash
- Preheat the oven to 380°F/190°C
- Cut them stem off of the butternut squash and then cut in half lengthwise. If you have a microwave, you can pop it in there for 15 seconds beforehand to make cutting through it easier.
- Spoon out the seeds and discard
- Drizzle with olive oil and salt and lay flat on a baking sheet, skin-side up. Bake for about 45 minutes until it is fork tender. It is important for it to be very soft when coming out of the oven.
While the squash bakes: soak the cashews & cook the pasta
- While the butternut squash is roasting, soak the cashews in hot water for at least 15 minutes.
- Scoop out the butternut squash from the skin with a spoon and add it to the blender without the skin
- Cook your pasta according to package instructions and be sure to salt the water. Use your favorite type of pasta! Once you drain the pasta, be sure to rinse with cold water and drizzle with olive oil to keep it from sticking.
Make the sauce
- Drain your cashews and add them to the blender along with the plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, dijon mustard and salt. Blend until smooth. Taste the sauce and add any more of the ingredients that you think are needed: plant-based milk if it is too thick, salt, or lemon juice/dijon mustard if you think it needs more zing.
- If your pasta is already cooled, heat 1/2 of the pasta sauce (just enough to heat it through) in a large pan or pot and then add the pasta. Mix to combine. If it is too thick just add a splash of plant-based milk or water. Enjoy!
Notes
*Butternut Squash & quantity: Keep in mind that if you use a large butternut squash this recipe makes a large amount of sauce, it should be enough for around two packs of pasta. I like to initially use half of the sauce and then freeze the rest. You can also half the recipe if you would prefer to make less sauce. My butternut squash was large, if you only have a small one then that is fine, you just may want to add less plant-based milk to avoid it getting too liquidy. Overall this recipe is really adaptable and I have made it with both large and small ones!
**Pasta: I myself prefer this mac & cheese with white pasta. My kids love it with white, wheat and red lentil pasta. Whole wheat pasta adds more fiber and red lentil pasta adds more protein. Use your favorite!