This cheese-alternative sauce is butternut squash and cashew based, which gives it a slightly sweet flavor and makes it a kid-friendly recipe. Although the recipe calls for peas, you could add broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, or any veggies of your choice.
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 cup
cooked butternut squash
¼ cup
raw cashews
1 ½ cups
plant-based milk
2 Tbsp
cornstarch
¼ cup
nutritional yeast flakes
2 Tbsp
Dijon mustard
¾ tsp
garlic powder
1 ½ tsp
lemon juice
½ tsp
sea salt
¼ tsp
black pepper
12 oz
macaroni noodles (brown rice or whole wheat)
1 cup
peas, frozen or fresh
½ cup
whole grain bread crumbs
½ tsp
smoked paprika (optional garnish)
Instructions
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the cooked butternut squash, cashews, milk, cornstarch, nutritional yeast flakes, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Whisk until thickened. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add a bit of water.
4. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions.
5. Combine the pasta noodles, sauce, and peas in a casserole dish, and sprinkle with the bread crumbs and optional smoked paprika.
6. Bake uncovered for ~20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
Cooking Tips
Cooking Tips
1. For a nut-free option, replace cashews with ¼ cup rolled oats or ½ cup hemp seeds.
2. Using frozen butternut squash is a huge time saver.
3. Try substituting 1 cup cooked sweet potato for the butternut squash.
4. It’s a good idea to soak your cashews for a few hours and rinse them if you do not have a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix. This will help give you creamier results.
5. You can add other vegetables such as spinach or broccoli.
6. Try adding a Mexican spice blend to the sauce along with green chiles and red kidney beans to the macaroni for a chili mac dish.
