Recipe: Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & “Cheese”

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.

Read more: How To Rethink Meal Prep So You *Actually* Start Doing It

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