Recipe: Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & “Cheese”

October 2, 2019

Photo Credit: Loving it Vegan

Gretchen Lidicker is a writer, researcher, and the author of the books CBD Oil Everyday Secrets and Magnesium Everyday Secrets. She has a degree in biology and a masters in physiology with a concentration in complementary and integrative medicine. She’s been featured in the New York Times, Marie Claire, Forbes, and Travel & Leisure.

If you’re a frequent meal-prepper, it’s easy to get stuck in the habit of making the same bland foods every week. And while we love an Instagram-worthy salad, as the weather cools many of us are looking for something a little more, well, satisfying.

Enter: Alyssa Gagarin, a chef, personal trainer, and master of prepping meals you can’t wait to dig into during your lunch break. She describes her cooking style as “elevated home-cooking.” “It’s supposed to feel like real food but there’s a creative spin; there’s a little extra time put in to make something more exciting,” she says.

The Butternut Squash Mac & “Cheese” recipe below is no exception. It’s completely plant-based and also completely satiating. It really hits the spot on a brisk fall day.

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Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & “Cheese”

SERVES

PREP TIME

10 min

COOK TIME

30 min

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

1/2 onion, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 1/2 cup cubed butternut squash, peeled

1/2 cup cashews

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 garlic powder

1 large head or 2 small heads of cauliflower, about 1 ½ lbs

Garnish: parsley, paprika

Optional: breadcrumb topping (recipe below)

Directions

Heat a dash of olive oil in a small pot. Add diced onion and cook 1 to 2 minutes.

Add diced celery and carrots and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add butternut squash, cashews, and water — just enough to barely cover the butternut squash (approximately 2 cups) and bring to a boil. Salt the water with 1 tsp of salt.

Cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soft enough to blend. Test by piercing with a fork- the texture should be soft enough to go through very easily.

Transfer veggie/cashew mixture to your blender along with half of the cooking water.

Add 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. garlic powder to blender.

Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Pour the creamy sauce over cooked pasta and/or roasted cauliflower.

Garnish with chopped parsley, a sprinkle of paprika, or crispy breadcrumbs (optional).