This might be my favorite mac and cheez recipe ever
So if you have been on this journey with me for a while now, you know I love a good comfort food dish (or if you’re new here, welcome!). Mac and cheese has always been one of my favorite dishes both to eat and create. It’s that one dish that everyone thinks that they are best at making, yet we’ve all been to a family function where someone new was in charge of making the mac and cheese and it just… did. Not. Hit.
I like to create this recipe when I really have a craving for mac and cheese and I have a little time to put in some work in the kitchen. Otherwise, I can be a sucker for some quick box mac and cheez from Annie’s (try the pumpkin and sweet potato one) and then I like to add some Rooted Delights Vegan Cheddah (which can be found here) Earth Balance Butter, and vegan cream cheese along with whatever spices I remember to add in.
Now on to the good stuff, the recipe notes. I have made so many different vegan mac and cheez recipes but something about adding the butternut squash really sets this recipe a part from the others. It could possibly be my eyes eating this dish first, the squash gives the mac and cheez that familiar look and color to the ‘real’ mac and cheese we grew up eating. Also, in this recipe I use a cashew cream to help thicken things up a little. Its best to allow your cashews to soak overnight in water so they can blend easier. If you are short on time, you can boil the cashews until they are soft, or take a note from my easy from the box mac and cheez recipe and use your favorite vegan cream cheese instead. Lastly, you’ll probably notice I used a strange ingredient in this recipe, tapioca starch. This helps to give the mac and cheez that gooey, pull apart goodness that a lot of vegan mac and cheez recipes are missing in comparison to their non-vegan friendly counterparts. If you cannot find tapioca starch, just omit from the recipe, I have yet to find something to sub tapioca starch that still works in this way.
A lot of us, including myself growing up had baked mac and cheese especially, on holidays and family gatherings but in this recipe I didn’t include steps to do so. However, you absolutely could to give this dish a more nostalgic feeling. To tweak this recipe for baked mac and cheez, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. As the oven heats up boil the noodles until they are really al dente, add the vegan cheez sauce from the recipe below and pour into a pan. Top with some more vegan cheddah and bake in the oven until the top is melty slightly golden.
For the recipe you will need:
1 ½ cup roasted Butternut squash
3 cups of elbow macaroni noodles
½ cup of soaked cashews
1 cup of vegan buttermilk (1 cup non-dairy milk + 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar)
½ tablespoon of tapioca starch
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste for roasting the squash and afterwards for the mac and cheez
About ¼ cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika (optional, but highly recommended)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp of powdered mustard
½ cup of Rooted Delights vegan Cheddah
First thing you are going to want to do is roast the butternut squash. To do so, preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and chop the squash. Be sure to scoop the “guts” and the seeds from the middle before chopping. Coat in olive oil, and use a generous amount of salt and pepper to season the squash. Roast for 20- 30 minutes. To cut down on time, I recommend doing this step the day before.
Boil the noodles at high heat for about 7-8 minutes. Salt the water well. Strain and set aside.
Begin your cheez sauce in a large pot at medium heat. Add in the buttermilk, tapioca starch and vegan cheddah. Stir to combine once complete, add seasonings.
Strain the cashews and add them to the sauce mixture along with the butternut squash. Blend until smooth. I’ve found that the best method for this is with an immersion blender, but a regular blender will work just fine.
Add the noodles to the cheez sauce and you are all set!
