Lemon Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Roasted Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 lemon
- salt to taste
- optional
- 1 tsp of vegetable broth paste/powder
- for the roasted pumpkin
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- dash of cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
- additionally
- 2 servings pasta of choice
- i used lemon rigatoni)
- optional to serve with
- fresh arugula
- pumpkin seeds
Preparation
Wash pumpkin (peel if not organic), cut into 4 large pieces and clean out seeds and strings
Cut everything into bite size chunks
Dice onion and garlic, heat up 1/2 tbsp of olive and fry onions until fragrant, then add garlic, cashews and 2 cups of the cubed pumpkin. Continue cooking for a few more minutes. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes
Turn off the heat and add tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, turmeric and coconut aminos
Transfer to a blender, food processor or use a handheld blender and blend until sauce is smooth and creamy
Add about 1 tbsp of the lemon juice and season to taste with salt
For the roasted pumpkin, add remaining cubes to a bowl and toss with oil and spices
Place on a line baking sheet and bake for ~ 25 minutes at 375 F/190 C. Depending on how large you cut the pieces you may need to adjust baking time and add another 5 min or more
Squeeze some lemon juice over roasted pumpkin when done
Add cheese sauce to pasta and pumpkin and enjoy
