Butternut Squash Mac and “Cheese”

Butternut squash is the base for this dreamy plant-based "cheese" sauce. Adding greens makes this comfort classic a nutritional powerhouse! Watch the video and follow along in your kitchen!

8 oz macaroni noodles or preferred pasta shape (whole wheat pasta or chickpea pasta recommended)

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

15 oz canned butternut squash puree

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, divided

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 cup vegetable broth, plus more

1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (use gluten free bread or rice crumbs if gluten free)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grab a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.
  2. Cook pasta according to package instructions. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Once the garlic is fragrant add the butternut squash puree. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, and paprika. Cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add butternut squash mixture to a blender. Add vegetable broth and lemon juice to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
  3. Return butternut squash sauce to your pan. Toss pasta and broccoli in butternut squash sauce until evenly coated. Transfer to large baking dish. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and a sprinkle each of salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over dish.
  4. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until “cheese” is bubbly and the top is evenly browned. Now eat some healthy mac and cheese!

V veg DF

Yield: 4 servings