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.
