Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 2 cups Butternut squash
  • 2 clove Garlic
  • 8 Sage, leaves

• Refrigerated

  • 1 1/2 cups Almond milk, plain

• Condiments

  • 3 tbsp Earth balance or other vegan butter substitute
  • 1/4 tsp Mustard, ground

• Pasta & Grains

  • 1 lb Pasta, dried

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne
  • 2 tbsp Flour
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1/4 cup Cashews

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Found on lepetiteats.com

Description

Ingredients

• for the panko-sage crust:
• 1 Tbsp. Earth Balance or other vegan butter substitute
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 8-10 sage leaves
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• for the macaroni:
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 lb. dried pasta
• ¼ cup cashews
• 1½ cups plain almond milk
• 2 Tbsp. Earth Balance or other vegan butter substitute
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 2-3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• ⅛ tsp. cayenne
• ¼ tsp. ground mustard

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash in a steamer basket set over boiling water and cover. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Pass through a mesh strainer to remove any remaining lumps.
• Boil pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• To make the panko sage breadcrumbs, melt 1 tablespoon of Earth Balance in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add sage and smashed garlic, cooking until sage is crisp on both sides, about 1-2 minutes. Remove sage leaves and drain on paper towels. Add panko to skillet and stir to combine. Cook until breadcrumbs are golden and toasted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and crumble sage leaves back into pan. Reserve mixture for later use.
• To make the cashew béchamel, blend cashews and ½ cup of almond milk in a food processor or high speed blender until smooth. Melt Earth Balance in a medium saucepan and add flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until flour is cooked through and mixture has turned golden brown, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the remaining cup of almond milk and all remaining ingredients, stirring to combine, and cook until mixture has thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
• Remove bechamel from heat and fold in butternut squash puree until completely incorporated. Add pasta to pot and combine with sauce. Spoon into greased individual ramekins or a 9x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle generously with breadcrumb mixture and bake for about 20 minutes.