Baked Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (Creamy Butternut Pasta)
A veganized version of the classic! This Baked Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is creamy, comforting, and delicious. *Note that From Start to Finish is an estimate that includes cooking the pasta and baking the final dish, so the actual hands on time of this recipe is much less!
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta of choice
Butternut "Cheese" Sauce:
- ½ cup raw cashews - soaked in very hot water for 20-30 minutes (OR in room temperature water overnight)
- ¾ - 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 1.25 cups butternut squash puree*
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1.25 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1.25 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Breadcrumb Mixture:
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs - (or another vegan breadcrumb)
- 1.5 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1.5 teaspoon onion powder
- 1.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon plant milk (I used almond milk, but any type will work!)
Optional Topping:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. (Now is also a good time to start soaking your cashews if you haven't yet!)
- Cook pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done cooking, be sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Make your Butternut "Cheese" Sauce: Drain your soaked cashews. Add your cashews, ¾ cup of the reserved pasta water, and all other ingredients for the Butternut "Cheese" Sauce to the blender. Blend until smooth and add more of the pasta water IF NECESSARY for consistency.
- Make your Breadcrumb Mixture: Combine all ingredients for the breadcrumb mixture, except the plant milk, to a small bowl. Mix to combine. Once evenly incorporated, add in the plant milk and mix. After a minute or two of mixing, the plant milk should cause the mixture to become slightly darker and create slightly larger clumps.
- Assemble: In a large bowl, combine the pasta and the Butternut "Cheese" Sauce. Stir to combine. Add this mixture to an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle your breadcrumb mixture on top of the pasta.
- Bake: Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs become slightly golden. Be careful not to overbake or it could dry out!
- Let cool just a few minutes and serve! Sprinkle on some optional vegan parmesan before serving if you'd like, but it's also delicious on its own!
Notes
*Butternut squash puree: Look for this near the canned pumpkin in your local health food grocery store (or occasionally a regular grocery store will carry it)! Or you can check out the "Ingredients" section of this blog post for a link to instructions on how to make your own at home!
Did you make this recipe?Mention @joyfulbalanceofficial on Instagram and show the world your plant based creation!