Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Butternut squash cheese sauce
- 16 oz. pasta noodles
- 2 cups cashews, soaked in boiling water
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup canned butternut squash
- 5 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Toasted onion cracker topping
- 1 package of Edward & Sons Toasted Onion Brown Rice Snaps
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 5 sprigs of thyme, stems removed
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 375F and grease a 10.5 x 7.5 dish with a little olive oil.
Soak cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package, leaving it a little al dente as it will continue cooking in the oven.
While cashews soak, make the cracker topping by adding vegan butter and thyme to a pan over medium heat and letting it sit until fragrant. Then add crushed crackers, coat entirely, taste and add salt and pepper as needed, and remove from heat and set aside.
Drain and rinse cashews and transfer to a blender with almond milk, butternut squash, spices, mustard, garlic clove, and nutritional yeast. Blend until completely smooth and adjust seasonings to taste.
Drain pasta and toss it in the vegan cheese sauce.
Add the mac and cheese to the prepared dish and top with the toasted onion cracker topping.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and serve.
