You really can make healthy mac and cheese from scratch with this easy recipe. You don’t have to worry about what kind of cheese to use either. There’s no cheese in this mac.
I thought you might want to add this to your Thanksgiving menu.
The flavors are so close to my original gluten-free mac & cheese. It tastes like the real deal, only a little lighter. But it’s still creamy and filled with the richness you expect when you take a bite of one of America’s classic noodle dishes. Leftovers hold well in the fridge, too. Always a bonus when you’re dealing with gluten-free pasta.
It passed the Joe test with flying colors. Our dinner conversation that night went something like this:
Amy: How’s the mac & cheese?
Joe: This might be mac but it’s not cheese.
Amy: It’s mac and cheese. Just try it.
Joe: I’m not eating it until you tell me what you put in here.
Amy: It’s so good, honey.
Joe: Is this what happened to the butternut squash? (I’ll have no idea how he knew the butternut squash was gone…I didn’t even think he noticed that kind of stuff!)
Amy: (smile) Yea.
Joe: (hesitant bite after careful investigation, including sniffing) Oh, it’s good.
Three helpings later….
Joe: This tastes just like mac & cheese. (smile)
Amy: (another big smile) I thought you’d like it. (“I told you so” wouldn’t have went over well.)
Yea, it’s one way to hide the veggies and eat more plant based food. But, it tastes and feels like an indulgence. So go for it.
What is on your holiday side dish menu?
A flavorful vegan macaroni and cheese dish that tastes so much like the dish we all grew up on.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces gluten-free macaroni noodles
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups (1 pound 3 ounces) cleaned and cubed butternut squash
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 of a large onion, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add one tablespoon kosher salt. Once the water is boiling rapidly, add one tablespoon olive oil and stir in the gluten-free pasta. Stir every couple of minutes to keep it from sticking together. Cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with warm water.
- Steam the butternut squash until tender, about 10 - 15 minutes.
- Put the cashews and non-dairy milk in high-speed blender (I use a VitaMix) and blend until smooth.
- Add the butternut squash, nutritional yeast, onion, garlic, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, ground mustard, paprika, and white pepper. Blend until smooth and combined.
- Transfer the cooked macaroni back to the cooking pot. Add the butternut squash mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer to a baking dish.
- Bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until the edges are bubble and the center is hot.
Notes
I started with a 2 pound 14 ounce squash and had enough raw squash leftover to cook as a side dish for a meal. I like Tinkyada's Brown Rice Elbows because of their shape, how they hold up after being baked, and the way they fill up with the creamy butternut squash filling.
Cara
posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:02 am
Yum! I’ve definitely been craving some good mac n cheese
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Amy Reply:
November 15th, 2012 at 10:19 am
@Cara, Me too, especially since I made this one.
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Sandra
posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:24 am
Hi Amy,
I really really have to give this a try. You guys sound like my husband and me LOL but he doesn’t always give it a go like yours does so I want to try this and see what he thinks.
I don’t have a vitamix, can I use my food processor?
Sandra
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Amy Reply:
November 15th, 2012 at 10:18 am
@Sandra, I don’t see why your food processor won’t work but I doubt it will be as silky smooth as it is with the VitaMix. It just has an extra ‘oomph’ that makes purees so soft and luscious.
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Iris
posted on November 15, 2012 at 10:23 am
Yum! Anything with butternut squash has got to be good in my book.
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Ricki
posted on November 15, 2012 at 11:09 am
Ha ha! Looks fab, and I must give yours a try. I just made something very similar last week–with (of course) a very similar conversation with my honey!! Don’t you love comfort food season?
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tracey
posted on November 15, 2012 at 11:11 am
This looks fabulous! Did you soak the cashews first or simply blend with the milk? Thanks again.
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Amy Reply:
November 15th, 2012 at 11:14 am
@tracey, No, I didn’t soak the cashews at all. I don’t find it’s necessary, especially with a VitaMix. What kind of blender/food processor do you have?
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tracey Reply:
November 15th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
I use Kitchenaid and Ninja lines. I think either would work well with this. Thanks again!
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Gloria
posted on November 15, 2012 at 11:29 am
This recipe looks divine. Thanks for the two links to the products at Amazon. Which brand of nutritional yeast do you use? I have not purchased it before and would love a recommendation.
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Amy Reply:
November 15th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
@Gloria, I get nutritional yeast in the bulk section of my health food store (Sprouts or Whole Foods) but Red Star is certified to have B12 in it, something vegans need.
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Trish @ MyBigFatBundt
posted on November 15, 2012 at 11:44 am
Oh my goodness…this sounds amazing! Not for me–I DETEST mac & cheese (I detest cheese, period.). But for my husband, this would be wonderful. He did a ‘meatless’ cleanse for 30 days and although he’s FAR from convinced that it did him much good health-wise (he’s a Blood type-O, which usually fares best with at least small amounts of red meat), he loved the money we saved on not purchasing meat. (We weren’t purchasing expensive ingredients like raw cashews either, only veggies from the wholesaler and brown rice and g-free pasta.) It will be wonderful to have options like this one to give him some comfort foods while feeling better about what’s going into the dish. I don’t even like to give him real dairy in his coffee anymore, but that’s what he prefers, and he’s a grown man.
Thanks again…pinning this one.
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Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free
posted on November 15, 2012 at 11:53 am
Yum, looks great! Your dinner conversation sound very familiar
Thanks!
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christine
posted on November 15, 2012 at 12:04 pm
wow, what a cool idea – I would never have thought of using butternut squash as a cheese sauce ingredient! We love butternut squash, just eaten squash and cauliflower soup for dinner, one of our favourites, but because of its sweetness I wouldn’t have thought of this working – I shall try it this weekend:) thanks
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Amy Reply:
November 15th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
@christine, It does work so well! Let me know how it turn out for you!
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Hallie @ Daily Bites
posted on November 15, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Great looking recipe, Amy! And what a way to sneak some veggies into Joe.
I think the sauce would be great over other things, too, like roasted cauliflower or broccoli and baked into a casserole. So many ways to take it. Thanks for the inspiration!
xoxo-Hallie
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Amy Reply:
November 16th, 2012 at 8:34 am
@Hallie @ Daily Bites, Yes…that’s next. And some other things I dreamed up while tweaking the flavors in the sauce. Just scrumptious!
xoxo,
Amy
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Shelley
posted on November 15, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Thanks for this recipe! I made it for dinner tonight with some of the abundant butternut squash from my garden. It was AMAZING!! How amazing? My 6 kids ages 10 on down to 10 months ate seconds and some had thirds! My husband loved it! It was also super fast and easy (once I got my squash peeled).
I really appreciate your blog and all your recipes! I have learned so much and I give myself a 30 minute (or more
break on Tuesdays to pin recipes from the Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
November 16th, 2012 at 8:32 am
@Shelley, You made my day, Shelly!! How sweet!! SIT is something I’m passionate about – everyone should know that they can eat great food that can still support their health in some way. I’m so grateful you find it helpful too. And THANK YOU for supporting SIT with your pins!
xoxo!!
Amy
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Carol
posted on November 15, 2012 at 7:43 pm
Love it! Glad your hubby loved it too!
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Diana
posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Made this tonight, and we LOVED it!!!
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Amy Reply:
November 16th, 2012 at 8:29 am
@Diana, Thanks for coming back to share that, Diana! I am so glad you loved it too! Don’t you think the flavor is so close to ‘real’ homemade mac and cheese with rich cheeses? I typically use Gruyere and sharp white cheddar but I like this even better.
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Diana Reply:
November 16th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
@Amy, I actually did not have the nutritional yeast, and also used walnuts instead of cashews. So the flavor was different, I am sure, but it was so good! Finished it for lunch today. Just as good as leftovers! Looking forward to making it with all the right ingredients, too!
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Maggie
posted on November 16, 2012 at 4:59 am
Cute story Amy! I can’t wait to make this, I’m going to go to the market this weekend to get some butternut squash. We make a similar mac and cheese that the kids love, so I’m sure this will be a hit too. What would we do without nutritional yeast? I love the stuff!
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Amy Reply:
November 16th, 2012 at 8:25 am
@Maggie, I’m starting to get the whole vegan cooking thing…there is still meat in our house. Still, I’ve learned so much about making tasty food with things like nutritional yeast – and yes, what would we do without it??
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Kim - Cook It Allergy Free
posted on November 16, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Love this! I make a really similar one and the boys and Kurt said they actually like it better than my dairy-filled version!! Great recipe, my dear!!
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Alisa
posted on November 18, 2012 at 11:47 am
Amy, this sounds amazing – and husband approved! Will definitely share
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Niky
posted on November 18, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Thank you for posting this recipe – it looks so good! I have a question about the cashews – I have a cashew allergy, so what do you recommend as a replacement?
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Amy Reply:
November 21st, 2012 at 9:51 am
@Niky, Someone else mentioned that you can try tahini. It really acts like a thickener and adds a lot of creaminess. If you can eat almonds you might try the blanched variety.
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Dawn @cuter than gluten
posted on November 20, 2012 at 9:51 am
The Kripalu Cookbook has a very similar recipe, they call it “Squasharoni”. I find the title endlessly amusing. Their version has some tahini instead of cashews and a bit of tamari too. So… to those who have a nut allergy you could try the raw tahini.
Your version looks quite nice, I think we might try it someday soon!
Thanks for the recipe.
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Amy Reply:
November 21st, 2012 at 9:36 am
@Dawn @cuter than gluten, Thanks for the nut substitution idea. I bet the tamari brings some good umami flavors.
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Stefania
posted on November 20, 2012 at 3:12 pm
made it, unbelievable. I use to make the original kind befor I had to go GFV and I was sad. This is simple, amazing and I used acorn squash which I baked whole in the oven at 350 for 45 and scooped it out in my blender. Thanks for this. I will be making it alot this fall/winter/spring season. Added cayenne pepper for a shot of heat.
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Amy Reply:
November 21st, 2012 at 9:26 am
@Stefania, I’m so glad you liked it – I bet the acorn squash was really yummy too! Was the puree still silky smooth?
My hubby would have loved the cayenne.
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Stefania Reply:
November 21st, 2012 at 9:46 am
@Amy, yes, it was still silky. I had blended the cashews with the milk first then added the other ingredients and the squash was warm. I just have a regular blender too. It worked well.
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Steph
posted on November 29, 2012 at 2:32 am
Do you have to use raw cashews? Could you use roasted cashews?
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Julie
posted on January 13, 2013 at 11:28 am
Martha Stewart’s heart attack mac and cheese (my name for it) was my favorite when I still ate meats and cheeses and I have been missing the creaminess of the dish. Since choosing a plant-based diet, two things I miss on a regular basis, eggs and mac and cheese.
Dreena Burton’s Mac oh’Geez has been good at keeping me fairly happy but I still missed that creaminess. You have satiated my longing by using butternut squash. I am amazed at how luscious this feels in my mouth. I used to view mac and cheese a guilty pleasure, no more! I find whole wheat pasta a bit aggressive in taste so I have switched to brown rice pasta and find it fairly neutral in recipes letting any sauces hold center stage.
Although I haven’t found a substitute for a soft boiled egg (and don’t believe I will), Indian black salt has given me a delightful egg yolk taste in my tofu egg salad that tides me through my craving.
Thank you for giving me a brand new way of using butternut squash, I used left over squash on my pizza last night – squash, lentils, fennel, garlic, zucchini, red onions, oil-cured green olives, yellow tomatoes and orange bell pepper with a smidge of Daiya mozzarella to hold the toppings – I would have never thought to used squash on a pizza.
I look forward to perusing your site and to future posts. Blog on!
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Chris
posted on January 14, 2013 at 6:15 am
Did you ever try this with spaghetti squash noodles?
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
January 27th, 2013 at 11:16 am
@Chris, No, I haven’t. I’m sure it would be great though. The sauce could really go with so many different dishes.
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Jill
posted on January 27, 2013 at 5:42 pm
Can I substitute another nut for cashews?
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Amy Reply:
January 28th, 2013 at 10:40 pm
@Jill, Maybe macadamia nuts? I haven’t tried any other nuts aside from cashews so I can’t say what will work for sure.
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Katherine C
posted on March 18, 2013 at 4:12 pm
This dish is currently in my oven. I used up the last of my almond butter for the nuts and some squash I found in my freezer from last summer. The noodles are quinoa pagodas and the whole thing looked and tasted great. This is a great option! thanks so much.
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Anita
posted on April 27, 2013 at 1:17 am
This recipe is awesome! I loved it from the first sight… (Seriously, have you ever looked over a recipe and just knew it was going to be good?).
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