MacAroni & No-Cheese
Submitted by goddarj
Vegan mac and cheese with butternut squash, tahini, miso, nutritional yeast, and mustard blended into a creamy dairy-free sauce, baked with breadcrumbs. Plant-based comfort food.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
50 minREADY
1 hrsNo dairy, no problem. This vegan take on mac and cheese builds its creamy, “cheesy” sauce from steamed butternut squash blended with white miso paste, nutritional yeast flakes, tahini, tamari, and mustard. The result is a sauce that’s rich, savory, and golden orange, hitting a lot of the same flavor notes as cheese without a single dairy ingredient.
Half the steamed squash goes into the blender for the smooth sauce. The other half gets cubed and folded in with the cooked macaroni, adding pockets of soft, sweet squash throughout the dish. Seasoned breadcrumbs on top crisp up during a 20-minute bake for that classic casserole crunch.
Nutritional yeast is what gives this its savory, slightly cheesy tang. Combined with the salty umami of miso and tamari, it creates a surprisingly convincing cheese-sauce experience.
Kitchen Tips
- Steam the squash until genuinely tender. Undercooked squash won’t blend smooth and the sauce will be grainy
- Blend the sauce ingredients until completely smooth. Any chunks of squash will be obvious in the final dish
- Cook the macaroni just until tender, not mushy. It bakes for another 20 minutes and will soften further
- Use egg-free macaroni to keep this fully vegan
Variations
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika to the sauce for a smokier, more cheddar-like flavor
- Stir in sautéed broccoli or roasted cauliflower for a veggie-loaded version
- Use sweet potato instead of butternut squash for a slightly sweeter, deeper-colored sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly oil a round 1½ quart baking dish .
Put 1 inch of water in a large saucepan with a steamer basket, cover with the lid, and bring to a gentle boil.
Put the butternut squash in the steamer basket, cover and steam until the squash is tender, 25 to 20 minutes.
Cool, and pare off the squash peel.
Put half the steamed squash, the miso, hot water, yeast flakes, mustard, tahini, tamari and pepper in a blender, and blend until smooth.
Meanwhile, in large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until just tender, about 8 Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the tahini-squash mixture and the cubed squash and mix well. Transfer the macaroni mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
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