healthy recipes

Recipe of the Week: Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheeze

Husband approved. Cook approved. Vegan approved. Omnivore approved. ‘Nough said. Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese

 

This recipe is Vegan with Gluten-free & Nut-Free options

Yield: 4 servings or 1.5 cups of cheeze sauce

Ingredients:

1 fresh butternut squash* (peeled and chopped) OR 1 cup canned butternut squash OR canned pumpkin Extra virgin olive oil, S & P 1 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter replacer) 3/4 cup unsweetened & unflavoured almond milk (revised from 1 cup) 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) 6 tbsp nutritional yeast, or more to taste 2 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4-3/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt (to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste 4 servings brown rice macaroni (8oz or half a 16oz package) makes 3 1/4 cup cooked Mix-ins of choice (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a casserole dish with tin foil. Mix chopped squash with EVOO, S & P. Roast for about 40 minutes, uncovered, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cheeze sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add Earth balance over low-medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together milk and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour) until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk. Stir in remaining ingredients (nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, lemon, S & P) and whisk over low heat until thickened (about 5-7 minutes or so).

3. Cook your pasta according to package directions. The sauce makes enough to cover 4 servings of pasta.

4. In a blender, blend the sauce with 1 cup of roasted squash (or if using canned, simply stir 1 cup into the pot).

5. Add cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni into pot, along with cheeze sauce & mix-ins. Heat and serve.

Lauren's Notes: 1) My 3.5 pound squash made 5 cups cooked squash, so I had about 4 cups leftover. 2) The sauce does not cut in half well (the blender has a hard time blending it up) 3) I tried this recipe with canned pumpkin and it was awesome!

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/03/butternut-squash-mac-n-cheeze/#ixzz2gUMpfiPb