Butternut Squash Mac N' Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of the most delicious dishes in my opinion. The gooey and stringy cheese, the feeling of home, and the incredible taste, although simple, it was always my classic comfort dish.

When I cut out dairy from my diet, not eating a classic bowl of my Mom’s mac n’ cheese was something I knew would be difficult. However, I am happy to report, those cravings are gone and I have found some incredible dishes that can replace that comfort feeling like this one here.

I set out to make my own macaroni dish that was not only comforting but also nutritious and easy to make. This butternut squash mac n’ cheese has only 6 ingredients, provides us with more than our daily serving of Vitamin C, is low in calories, and provides a decent amount of fiber and folate.

Details Of The Recipe

The first thing you need to do is soak the raw cashews in hot water for at least 2 hours or alternatively, you can soak the cashews in room temp water all day.
When ready to start cooking, you will want to start roasting the butternut squash. To save time, I buy a 12 oz. bag of pre-cut squash. It may cost a little extra but it is worth the time-saving step in my opinion. You do what suits you. Grab a sheet pan and lay some parchment paper on it. Lay the chopped squash in a single layer and roast at 420 degrees for 40 mins making sure to stir halfway through. No oil, salt or pepper needed here. This can also be done ahead of time – for example, on a Sunday night – have one more step done to help make this dish move even faster
While the squash roasts, it is time to get everything else started.
You will want to get the water going for the pasta. You can use any shape you want, spiral can be fun. Maybe your kids like the shells? Whatever you use, you will want 16 oz of pasta. I used gluten-free but regular pasta will work perfectly too. Once water is boiling, pour in the pasta and let it cook. Drain, add back into the pan and set to the side.
Be sure to save ½ cup of the pasta water before draining it. It will help the sauce stick to the pasta but also thins the sauce out a bit.
While that goes, get the onion and garlic cooked up. Then set to the side.
Once the squash is done you are going to put that into a blender with the drained cashews, cooked onion, garlic, nutritional yeast, and seasonings. Add in 1/4 cup pasta water into the blender and blend well.
Pour ‘cheeze’ sauce on top of the pasta. At this point, you can add the additional 1/4 cup of pasta water if you want the sauce a little more liquidy. Stir well and heat everything back up. Serve immediately.