Macaroni on a roasted pumpkin pasta sauce is an excellent dish if you are looking for vegan mac and cheese alternatives or want to try out a healthier alternative to the original. The main ingredients of this pumpkin mac and cheese recipe are roasted pumpkin, cashew milk, vegan cheese, and of course macaroni.
Which Pumpkin Should You Use?
I suggest using a Red Kuri (Hokkaido) Squash or Butternut Squash for this pumpkin pasta sauce. These are the ones I know who are working great with this recipe. If you want to experiment, check out this visual pumpkin guide for more information on how to use different pumpkins.
How To Roast Pumpkin?
Wash your pumpkin and cut in half. If you are using a Red Kuri (Hokkaido) Squash, you don’t need to peel it. You can eat this pumpkin with the skin (that’s why this one is my favorite pumpkin). When using a Butternut Squash, you need to cut away the skin. Scrape out the seeds using a spoon and cut your pumpkin in chunks. Mix it with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes in your oven. I like to add one onion and garlic for extra flavor.
How To Make This Pumpkin Mac And Cheese Recipe in 10 Minutes?
Instead of using fresh pumpkin, you can go with pumpkin puree. You also need to substitute the roasted onion and garlic with the powdered version. While cooking the macaroni, make your pumpkin pasta sauce for a super quick pasta dish.
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Roasted Pumpkin
- 10.5 oz (300g) pumpkin (weight without seeds) – see notes , alternative: pumpkin puree
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Pumpkin Sauce
- 0.5 cup (120ml) cashew milk, alternative: any other plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp lime, (~ 1/2 lime)
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp ground paprika
- pepper
Mac and Cheese
- 7 oz (200g) macaroni
- 2/3 cup (60g) vegan cheese
- 1/4 cup (30g) cashew nuts
- 2 tbsp fresh herbs, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Scrape out the seeds using a spoon and cut the pumpkin in chunks. Peel the onion and garlic. Cut the onion in half. Mix the vegetables with one tablespoon of olive oil and bake them for 20 minutes on a with parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop the cashew nuts and roast them. Set aside.
- Blend the roasted vegetables with the cashew milk, lemon, salt, and ground paprika in your food processor until smooth. Season with pepper and more salt if needed.
- Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Slightly undercook them (~1 minute). Keep 1 cup of the pasta water beside before you drain them.
- After you drained the pasta, place them back in the pot with the pumpkin sauce and the vegan cheese. Cook on middle temperature until the cheese is melted. Add some of the pasta water if it gets too dry.
- Serve your pumpkin mac and cheese with the roasted cashew nuts and a handful of fresh herbs.
Notes
- The best pumpkins for this recipe are Red Kuri (Hokkaido) Squash and Butternut Squash.
- Use pumpkin puree if you are in a hurry. Therefore skip the roasting step and season the pumpkin sauce with garlic & onion powder.
- If you have nutritional yeast at home, add one tablespoon of it to blend with the sauce.
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