Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 very small sugar pumpkin or 1 small butternut squash (about 2 1/2 lbs)
- 1/2 cup (40g) nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt + more to taste
- 1 tablespoon mellow white or yellow miso paste
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (~60g) raw cashews, soaked for 8 hours or overnight
- 1 cup (240mL) canned “lite” coconut milk
- 10 ounces (280g) of rigatoni pasta, medium-sized macaroni shells, or pasta of your choice
Preparation
Slice the pumpkin or butternut squash in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the seeds using a spoon. If it is too hard to cut, microwave it for 2 minutes to soften.
Choose to roast or steam the pumpkin. For roasting, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C), drizzle the halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper, place them flesh side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast for 30-40 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Once cool, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.
For steaming, pour 1 cup of water into an Instant Pot, add a steamer rack or trivet, place the pumpkin halves on it, and steam until tender. Once cool, scoop out the flesh.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
In a blender, combine the cooked pumpkin flesh with nutritional yeast, optional dry mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, ground nutmeg, salt, miso paste, tapioca flour or cornstarch, fresh lemon juice, soaked cashews, and coconut milk, then blend until smooth to make the sauce.
Heat the sauce in a saucepan if necessary.
Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta and serve.
