This vegan butternut & broccoli mac’n cheese is a healthier take on a tried and true classic. It’s rich, creamy, easy to make, and will work both as a holiday dinner side or on its own!
Vegan Butternut & Broccoli Mac’n Cheese
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 6 oz pasta of choice
- 2 cups of (frozen*) broccoli florets
For the sauce:
- 2 cups of fresh cubed butternut squash (about ½ small butternut)
- 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews*
- 1 cup of cashew milk
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ small lemon, the juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp cornstarch (optional!)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pinch smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove)
- 1 tsp onion powder (or the white part of 1 green onion)
Instructions
- Start by boiling the cubed butternut in water for 10-15 minutes or until they’re no longer firm. (Note: if you’re using frozen butternut chunks, you can simply sauté them in a skillet with 1-2 tbsp water for 5-6 min since those don’t take as long).
- While the butternut is cooking, start cooking your pasta according to package instructions and prepping your sauce ingredients. About 4 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the frozen broccoli to the same pot (if you’re using fresh broccoli, do so 2 min before it’s ready).
- Once the butternut is ready, add it to a high speed blender* with the other sauce ingredients and blend on high for at least 2-3 min or until everything is smooth and creamy.
- Drain the pasta & broccoli, transfer it back to the pot and mix it with the sauce. The heat of the pasta & sauce should even each other out making it ready to eat, but you can also reheat it all for a minute or two.
- Serve and enjoy! (Feel free to add some fresh herbs and/or chili flakes if you’d like)
Notes
If you have a high-speed blender, there’s no need to soak the cashews before. If you have a “regular” blender only, either soak the cashews overnight or quick soak them in boiling water for 15 min. Otherwise, your sauce will be a little less smooth, which is also fine!
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This recipe is sponsored by Forager Project.
Photography by Marissa Wong. Recipe by Kim-Julie Hansen.
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