Macaroni and No Cheese
This cheese-alternative sauce is butternut squash and cashew based, which gives it a slightly sweet flavor and makes it a kid-friendly recipe. Although the recipe calls for peas, you could add broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, or any veggies of your choice.
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked butternut squash
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 1 ½ cups plant-based milk
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 12 oz macaroni noodles (brown rice or whole wheat)
- 1 cup peas, frozen or fresh
- ½ cup whole grain bread crumbs
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional garnish)
Instructions
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- 2. Place the cooked butternut squash, cashews, milk, cornstarch, nutritional yeast flakes, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- 3. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Whisk until thickened. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add a bit of water.
- 4. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions.
- 5. Combine the pasta noodles, sauce, and peas in a casserole dish, and sprinkle with the bread crumbs and optional smoked paprika.
- 6. Bake uncovered for ~20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
Cooking Tips
Cooking Tips
- 1. For a nut-free option, replace cashews with ¼ cup rolled oats or ½ cup hemp seeds.
- 2. Using frozen butternut squash is a huge time saver.
- 3. Try substituting 1 cup cooked sweet potato for the butternut squash.
- 4. It’s a good idea to soak your cashews for a few hours and rinse them if you do not have a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix. This will help give you creamier results.
- 5. You can add other vegetables such as spinach or broccoli.
- 6. Try adding a Mexican spice blend to the sauce along with green chiles and red kidney beans to the macaroni for a chili mac dish.
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