Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Once you try this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, you'll never crave the cheesy version again. Each creamy bite is packed with flavor and extra nutritional benefits from the butternut squash and kale. It’s easy enough to cook for weeknight dinners or meal prep it for later in the week!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 340kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta cooked
- 1 medium butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 cup vegetable broth or oat milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 cups chopped fresh kale put aside 2 tablespoons and chop fine for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375°.
- In a large bowl, toss the cubed butternut squash with olive oil and salt. Spread butternut squash on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for approximately 30 minutes, shifting around halfway through.
- While roasting, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small fry pan and add chopped onion. When softened, add the garlic and cook 2 - 3 more minutes. Add the kale and cook until wilted.
- Combine the butternut squash and onion & kale mix to a food processor. Add tahini, broth or plant-based milk and blend until smooth.
- After straining the pasta, mix all the ingredients together in the same pot and stir until well blended. Heat and add additional salt & pepper if needed.
- Top with 2 tablespoons freshly chopped kale.
Notes
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Make ahead: To save just a bit of time you can opt to only roast the butternut squash ahead of time. This will save you about 40 minutes during the week.
Another option is to also finish cooking the sauce, saving you even a bit more time. Then when you’re ready to serve it up, all you need to do is cook the pasta, heat the sauce and mix it together.
Leftovers: Store the leftover butternut squash and mac cheese in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator.
Freezer: I do not recommend freezing the pasta as it will be quite mushy when thawed out but you can freeze the sauce. To freeze the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat as noted below.
Reheat: To reheat the sauce on its own, place it in a saucepan and heat over medium low heat. Add more vegetable broth or milk as needed to thin out the sauce. Then when heated, add your hot pasta and finish the recipe.
For heating the pasta and sauce together I recommend using a skillet on medium heat. Add a bit of liquid to give the sauce some more moisture and cook until heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 1438mg | Potassium: 1390mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 23905IU | Vitamin C: 91mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 4mg