Healthy Mac and “Cheese”

Committing to a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice great meals. Warm up for fall with this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and “Cheese” recipe. This is an easy plant-powered dish. Makes 3 servings.

INGREDIENTS

½ of butternut squash
1 ½ cups (350 mL) low-fat non dairy milk
1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
2 tbsp (30 mL) nutritional yeast
½ tsp (2.5 mL) ground mustard
½ tsp (2.5 mL) garlic powder
½ tsp (2.5 mL) smoked paprika
8 oz (227 g) elbow pasta, uncooked
¼ cups (27 g) panko breadcrumbs
⅛ tsp (0.6 mL) hot sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the butternut squash into large pieces and remove the seeds. Steam the butternut squash until tender. You can also use an electric pressure cooker: Place on the trivet and add 1. cups of water. Use the steaming setting for 10 minutes.
2. Once the butternut squash is cooked, scoop the flesh out of the skin with a spoon. Reserve 1 cup for the sauce. Set aside another ½ cup of the squash and dice it.
3. To make the sauce, combine the 1 cup of just-cooked butternut squash, milk, corn starch, nutritional yeast, ground mustard, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a blender. Process until smooth.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions on the package.
5. Pour the sauce into a large pot set to low-medium heat. Stir often. As soon as the sauce comes to a simmer, add the cooked pasta and . cup of diced butternut squash. Mix to combine.
6. Place the macaroni and “cheese” into a 8-by-8-inch baking dish and top with panko breadcrumbs. Place under the oven broiler set to low for 2–5 minutes to brown the top of the dish. Add small drops of hot sauce across the top if desired. Serve hot.

Note: It may seem like there’s a lot of sauce, but the pasta will absorb the sauce as it cools.

Source: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Nutrition Facts