Fall means it’s squash season, and vegan butternut squash mac and cheese! I’ve been stocking up on my squashes, and one of my favorites is definitely butternut squash! It has a subtle sweet and nutty flavor, and it is super easy to cook! I was craving some mac and cheese last night, but I wanted in incorporate some kind of vegetable. Adding butternut squash made the sauce super creamy which is perfect because this recipe is vegan!
How to prepare butternut squash:
Most supermarkets have pre cut butternut squash which is a huge time saver, however, if you get the squash in its natural form, it is also very easy to prepare.
- A little trick I use is to poke the squash a few times with a fork then microwaving it for 5 ish minutes. This allows the skin to become soft and easier to peel with a vegetable peeler.
- After peeling I cut the squash in half long ways and remove the seeds.
- The I chop the squash into 1″ cubes!
- I cooked my butternut squash using a pressure cooker for 5 minutes, but it can also be done in the oven or stovetop. Just cook them until they are soft or fork tender.
Key ingredients for this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese:
- Butternut squash
- This is the star of the show! I love blending up butternut squash because of its sweet flavor and creamy consistency!
- Vegetable stock
- I used this to help the butternut squash cook in the pressure cooker. If you don’t have any on hand you can always use water.
- Onion powder, parsley, and Dijon mustard
- Adding some extra flavor with some fun spices! I added some mustard to add a little zing, and yellow color!
- Almond milk
- This helps the sauce blend up easier. I do not think this is necessary especially if you want a thicker sauce.
- Olive oil
- This keeps the sauce super glossy and thick! It adds a nice layer of creaminess that you cannot get with almond milk or stock.
- Nutritional yeast
- This is where the cheese flavor comes from! I love using nutritional yeast for anything related to cheese and vegan!
- Banza chickpea pasta
- This is always my choice of pasta! I love that it has so much protein per serving and they have all different kinds of pasta! I used their elbow macaroni for this recipe.
Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Fall is here which means it is squash season! Butternut squash is one of my favorites squashes because it has a slight sweet flavor that is perfect for this mac and cheese recipe!
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
Butternut squash prep:
- 2½ cups butternut sqush cubed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Cheese sauce ingredients1;
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 8 oz chickpea elbow pasta or your favorite elbow pasta
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water, and cook the pasts according to box instructions.
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to an insta pot that is set on sauté. Then throw in the cubed butternut squash with some salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the veggie broth, then cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once the butternut squash is cooked add it to a high speed blender along with the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients. Blend until everything is creamy and smooth.
- Pour the cheese sauce into a sauce pan, then add in the pasta. Stir everything until all the noodles are covered!
- Enjoy!
