Photo of Vegan mac and 'cheese' by WW

Vegan mac and 'cheese'

7
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 hr
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Roasted, pureed butternut squash forms the base of the vegan cheese sauce for this veggie-packed mac and cheese. Save time by purchasing squash that's already peeled, seeded, and cubed. Just make sure the squash cubes are about the same size so they roast in the same amount time.

Ingredients

Butternut squash

2 pound(s), peeled, seeded, chopped (or 20 oz store-bought prepped squash)

Cooking spray

4 spray(s)

Uncooked macaroni

8 oz

Cornstarch

1 tbsp(s)

Dry mustard

1½ tsp(s)

Plain unsweetened almond milk

16 fl oz

Garlic

2 clove(s), large, finely chopped

Nutritional yeast

1½ tbsp(s)

Chives

1 tbsp(s), finely chopped (plus extra for garnish)

Fresh mixed greens

4 cup(s)

Fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place squash on prepared tray and lightly coat with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender and golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Process until creamy in a food processor or mash until smooth.
  2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine cornstarch and dry mustard. Gradually whisk in almond milk until combined and smooth, and set aside.
  4. Lightly coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic, cook, stirring for 20 seconds. Gradually stir almond milk mixture into pan with garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in nutritional yeast and mashed squash until well combined. Add pasta and chives, and stir to combine.
  5. Spoon mixture into a 3-quart baking dish and bake until light golden, about 20 minutes.
  6. Toss mixed greens with lemon juice and serve with mac and cheese, garnished with chives.
  7. Serving size: about 1 cup each pasta and salad