Want to sneak some veggies into your kiddos mac and cheese? This vegan mac and cheese sauce is loaded with butternut squash, making it super nutritious and flavourful. The colour blends perfectly and they will NEVER guess there’s hidden veggies in this one!
Most kids love macaroni and cheese, so you shouldn’t have any trouble putting this dish on the table.
All you taste is the delicious “cheesy” goodness, in a rich, beautiful sauce that smothers your favourite noodles.
Butternut squash mac and cheese, for the win!
How to make butternut squash mac and cheese?
Start by peeling and chopping your butternut squash. Then place the squash chunks in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until a fork pieces through easily. This should take around 8-10 minutes. Drain the squash and place it in your blender with all the other sauce ingredients. Blend your sauce until smooth and creamy.
Meanwhile, get your pasta water boiling and cook your favourite noodles, according to the package directions. Drain and return to the pot, and then drown them in the delicious, rich, uhh-mazing sauce.
If your sauce cools down before your pasta is ready, you may run the blender a little longer to get it to heat up again. Alternatively, pour the sauce into the pot with the pasta and heat it over the stove top for a couple of minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle or two of smoked paprika, or some vegan parmesan cheese on top for some extra oomph of cheesiness.
Why butternut squash?
I like to use butternut squash, not only for the deliciousness and nutrients, but also the colour.
When serving mac and cheese to children, there’s something about the yellowy orange cheese sauce that makes their eyes light up.
The squash really adds a nice bright colour to the sauce to resemble store bought, boxed varieties, so this should be a nice and easy replacement.
For more ways to use squash, try my air fryer spaghetti squash, or my butternut squash soup.
More Vegan Mac & Cheese Dishes
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito,
Rosa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash peeled & chopped into 1 inch pieces (approx 1.5-2lb squash)
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk or milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1 lb elbow noodles or pasta of choice, gluten free if preferred
- smoked or sweet paprika optional garnish
Instructions
- Add the squash to a small sauce pot, cover with water and boil for 8 minutes, or until a fork pierces through easily. Drain and add to your blender, along with all remaining ingredients, except the pasta. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Pour about two thirds of the sauce into the pasta and mix well to prevent sticking.
- Use the remaining sauce to garnish each plate, or dump all of it into the pot and mix. Serve garnished with a sprinkle of paprika if desired.
Nancy
Another winner! Delicious! I love butternut squash and I was excited to see a recipe for a different way to use it. And so easy, especially since the only cooking I had to do was cook the squash (which I did in my Instant Pot) and the pasta. Full of flavor and I love the creamy texture. Looking forward to making it again.
Rosa
Thanks for the review Nancy. So happy you enjoyed the butternut squash mac and cheese! 🙂
Candis Latendre
Soooo good it is amazing, thank you.
Rosa
My pleasure Candis, so glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Gee
Can this sauce be frozen?
Rosa
Yes, it freezes well, but I don’t recommend freezing the pasta. Enjoy!
Lisa C
Hello – What is the purpose of the nutritional yeast, and is it necessary for this recipe or is there an alternative? Thank you!
Rosa
Hi Lisa, the purpose is to add a cheesy flavour, while keeping the dish dairy-free. I’ve had other readers who aren’t vegan report back that grated Parmesan works well.