Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz. pasta noodles
- 2 cups cashews
- 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 salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Buttery cracker crust
- 1 package of crackers
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 375F and grease a 10.5 x 7.5 dish with a little olive oil.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, leaving it a little al dente.
Soak cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes.
While cashews are soaking, make the cracker topping by adding vegan butter and thyme to a pan over medium heat and heating until fragrant, then add crushed crackers and coat entirely, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, and remove from heat and set aside.
Drain and rinse the cashews, then transfer to a blender with almond milk, butternut squash or pumpkin, dijon mustard, garlic clove, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and nutritional yeast, and blend until completely smooth, adjusting seasonings as needed.
Drain the pasta and toss it in the vegan cheese sauce.
Transfer the mac and cheese to the prepared dish and top with the cracker topping.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve.