Vegan Spicy Mac and Cheese

Vegan Spicy Mac and Cheese

serves 4 cooks in 20 mins difficulty two

If you thought living a plant-based lifestyle meant you couldn’t enjoy a delicious, creamy, and comforting bowl of mac and cheese then think again! This recipe uses roasted squash which adds a great sweetness and soaked cashews too make everything rich and creamy. The spiciness is added at the end with a quick drizzle of sriracha so you can easily leave it out if you like, but I find the heat is a really lovely way to cut through the richness of the rest of the dish.

The Ingredients

1 16 oz package of macaroni

2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash

3/4 cups water

1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews soaked 4-6 hours, drained & rinsed

1 clove garlic

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp unrefined coconut oil

1 tsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp sea salt plus more to taste

2 tsp Sriracha plus more to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Add squash to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until squash is fork tender and cooked through.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook macaroni noodles according to instructions on the package. 

While the noodles cook, add squash, water, cashews, garlic, lemon juice, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, salt, and Sriracha to a blender or food processor. Puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Taste and season with additional Sriracha and/or salt to taste. 

Add sauce to a large saucepan over low heat. 

Drain the noodles and add to the sauce, stirring to combine. Serve immediately. 

Leave a Reply