Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
No collection of comforting vegan recipes would be complete without a good plant-based take on mac and cheese. The satisfying and good-for-you butternut squash sauce will make you forget all about boxed mac and cheese and its powder packets. Blended with savory nutritional yeast, fragrant garlic, and tangy white wine vinegar, this sauce is exceptionally creamy and pairs perfectly with the tender bite of steamed broccoli.
Spiced butternut squash blended with nutritional yeast and a little plant milk makes a delightfully rich and “cheesy” sauce for pasta and broccoli. Pumpkin, acorn squash, or delicata squash will also work in this recipe.
To make this recipe gluten-free, chose a whole grain pasta made with rice, corn, and/or quinoa.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium butternut squash (1¾ lb.)
- 1 onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2 cups unsweetened, unflavored plant milk, such as almond, soy, cashew, or rice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups dried whole grain penne pasta (8 oz.)
- 3 cups small broccoli florets
- Fresh basil leaves
- Peel squash; halve squash and remove seeds. Cut squash into large pieces. Place squash pieces in a steamer basket in a large pan. Add water to saucepan to just below basket. Bring to boiling. Steam, covered, about 12 minutes or until tender.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, garlic, thyme, and ¼ cup water to pan. Cook about 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally and adding water, 1 to 2 Tbsp. at a time, as needed to prevent sticking.
- Transfer onion mixture to a blender. Add squash and the next five ingredients (through pepper). Cover and blend until smooth. Pour squash mixture into a large saucepan.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli the last 5 minutes of cooking; drain. Add drained pasta and broccoli to squash mixture; toss to coat. Serve warm topped with fresh basil.
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