Über savory Cheesy Mac. Vegan & Nut free.

I’m not going to be another vegan that says it’s THE BEST vegan mac’n’cheese (even though it absolutely is); I will say, it’s darn tasty, and incredibly satisfying. Add this to your recipe collection and you won’t be disappointed. I’d also be delighted if you share your creations with me when you make it.

A little secret that makes this Sauce extra special is Kabocha Squash. If you haven’t tried it, I recommend you do. Compared to their counterparts like butternut squash or sweet potatoes that are really sweet, kabocha squash is more balanced. Making the sauce truly a savory umami filled treat.

Ingredients:
serves 4-6
1 lb (a box) of pasta
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups kabocha squash, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 cups oat milk (or any plant milk)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp stone ground/dijon mustard
1/2 cup pasta water (reserved from boiling pasta)
2 tsp lemon juice

Method:
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over low heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Try not to brown them, the onions should be translucent.
Next add kabocha squash, salt and pepper. Toss and cook for another 10 minutes, until the veggies are really soft.
Note: If you’re using fresh squash, this step takes about 20 minutes for it to soften. I used frozen.
Remove from heat and allow this to cool.
Let’s cook the pasta in the meanwhile. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta per package instructions. Elbow pasta takes 6-8 minutes. Scoop out 1/2 cup of pasta water to reserve for the sauce. Drain pasta and set aside.
To a blender, add the softened veggies, along with measured nutritional yeast, oat milk, pasta water, and mustard. Blend into a smooth purée.
Here is where you get to decide how thick and luscious the sauce is. Add a few extra tablespoons of oat milk to thin out if needed.
Mix lemon juice into the sauce, and pour sauce over cooked pasta.
Gently toss everything together, and it’s done

Bonus tip: always…always add hot sauce to your cheesy pasta.

Today, I added gochugaru, korean red chilli pepper. Insanely brilliant combo! Give it a try