Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups cashews, soaked in boiling water for 20 mins
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup canned butternut squash or pumpkin
- 5 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 teaspoons each of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, & smoked paprika ⠀
- buttery cracker crust (optional, but like not really)⠀
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 5 springs of thyme, stems removed
- salt & pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 375F and grease a 10
X 7
Dish with a little olive oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package, leaving it a little al dente, will continue cooking in oven
While cashews soak, make your cracker topping
In a pan over medium heat, add vegan butter and thyme and let sit until fragrant
Add your crushed crackers and coat entirely, tasting and adding a bit of salt & pepper as needed, then remove from heat and set aside
Drain and rinse cashews and transfer to a blender with almond milk, butternut squash, spices, mustard, garlic & nutritional yeast
Blend until completely smooth and taste to adjust for seasonings per your liking
Drain pasta and toss in your vegan cheese sauce
Add mac and cheese to prepared dish then top with toasted onion cracker topping
Bake for 10 minutes
Remove from oven and devour