Vegan Butternut Squash mac and cheese

Are you searching for a delicious weeknight dinner with veggies? This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese would be the best choice for you to make tonight. It is best to serve the families and kids as well.

Made with nutritional yeast, cashew, and coconut milk. It is one of the most comfortable and straightforward comfort foods I recommend you make this season.

This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese recipe is a healthier tweak to the regular version. The sauce is made with butternut squash, making the dish creamy and taste better than the ready-made ones. 

This easy vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is dairy-free and one of my priority dishes list's most important comfort foods. The sauce is silky and creamy, made achievable with cashews, and all-purpose flour.

It officially falls here, and I could see nearby stores are loaded with squashes of various types and colors.

We are a little carried away by seeing the fresh and bright butternut squashes. The array of veggies tempts me to buy and use them before the season ends.

So, we grabbed them more than the usual requirement, making me search for trusted and tried recipes for this vegetable.

After a couple of phone calls, I got this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese recipe from a friend, a chef in New York. And since then, this recipe has become one of our favorites.

After this, I’m making it repeatedly. And, every time, the pan will get emptied within no time.

Pasta is the easiest dish when you choose the correct sauce for the right pasta type. This butternut squash sauce complements elbow macaroni well, making a delicious dinner. And you can hear the appreciation from all the corners without a doubt.

Creamy butternut squash sauce will be loved by everyone, including those who have grown up eating mac and cheese all the time.

The Vegan mac and cheese pasta sauce

The name says it is vegan butternut squash mac and cheese, but it is not made with real cheese. However, the texture of the cheese arrived with the help of nutritional yeast.

Nutritional yeast is an excellent substitute for cheese. But, if you prefer, you may add vegan cheese instead.

This pasta tastes savory with a hint of sweetness from the squash. The sauce is a lighter, brighter, refreshing dinner for the whole family.

The butternut squash is the hero ingredient, and I wanted its dominant flavor and taste. This is why not adding tomatoes makes it sour and dilutes its original character.

Instead, if you prefer, you may add chopped sun-dried tomatoes or lemon juice while making vegan butternut squash mac and cheese.

The coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and cashews give the dish a creamy, silky texture. These ingredients act as a thickening agent, making the meal reach its desired consistency.

Macaroni Pasta

The next step is choosing the right pasta for vegan butternut squash mac and cheese. In the market, you can select macaroni pasta ranging from regular, multigrain to gluten-free, whole wheat. Choose according to your individual preference.

For this vegetable sauce, I want to pair it with another ingredient-multigrain macaroni pasta. Multigrain pasta has gorgeous flavor and texture.

The process and cooking time vary according to the type and size of the macaroni pasta. So, it is advisable to cook according to the directions in that package.

The pasta should be firm while eating and not melt in your mouth. So, remember to cook it to a firm texture.

This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese recipe is excellent for fresh pasta as well. But I always go with the hard pasta as it is easier for me to store, which also cuts down huge cooking time.

Furthermore, on weeknights, this makes the cooking the dinner like a breeze.

The seasonings

I wanted to have the herbs and spices as simple as possible to retain the favor of the butternut squash in this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese.

Here, I have added black pepper and garlic to boosts the flavors of the squash without distracting it.

In the end, I have added the fresh basil because I had it in my garden and wanted to use it desperately. But it's optional you may add or skip this ingredient.

It's a delicious vegan butternut squash mac and cheese for the kids; I'm sure the kids would love this. Mom's does feel heartful feeding the children with good food.

Once I keep avoiding to make mac and cheese at home for my son until I found this veggie sauce. And now this dish became a staple here.

Moreover, a must try the recipe when squashes are available abundant in the stores. To tell you the truth, they are cheaper and fresh this season.

If you are looking for other easy to make kids friendly recipes, then you may see into 5 step French Crepe, Baked Egg Bread, Vegetarian Lasagna Roll-ups.

I went with small-sized whole butternut squash maybe around 3 cups of butternut cubes.  If you feel like having more creamy, saucy mac and cheese, then go ahead and add more.

Other simple dinner recipes you may like,

• Lasagna roll ups
• Simple corn pasta
• Easy Avocado pasta
• Vegan alfredo pasta
• Pasta recipes

Printable recipe card

vegan butternut squash mac and cheese

This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is dairy-free. Made with cashew, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast, for the whole family.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 servings

Calories: 381kcal

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 3 tablespoon cashew nuts soaked
• ¼ cup warm water for soaking cashew nuts
• 2 cup butternut squash cubes
• 2 cups water for cooking butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup yellow onion chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the mac and cheese

• 1 cup multi-grain macaroni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup coconut milk
• 11/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt or as required
• 1 teaspoon whole black pepper crushed
• 1 tablespoon basil leaves fresh or dried

Instructions

For the sauce

• Soak cashew nuts for 20 minutes in ¼ cup warm water.
• Remove the skin of the butternut squash and cut them into small cubes.
• In a pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Then add chopped yellow onion.
• In low heat, saute until it turns golden brown.
• Now add butternut squash cubes, salt and two cups of water. 
• Cook until it turns soft and tender. 
• Drain and set aside to cool down to the room temperature.
• In a blender add this mixture and soaked cashews. 
• Puree until it becomes silky in texture. And set aside.

For the mac and cheese

• Cook multi-grain elbow pasta as per the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, and all-purpose flour. 
• Whisk for a minute, in medium flame.
• Stir in the puree. And cook it until it thickens.
• Then coconut milk, cooked pasta, nutritional yeast, and salt.
• Cook it until it reaches desired consistency. Adjust the thickness with coconut milk if needed.
• Sprinkle crushed pepper and fresh basil. And serve hot.

Notes

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice if you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 786mg | Potassium: 806mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 9970IU | Vitamin C: 21.5mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4.1mg

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Author Sujatha Muralidhar

**Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is an approximate estimate only.

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