Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese | RECIPE

Yep. You heard that right. PUMPKIN mac and cheese. Because...fall. And because it makes for a beautiful, silky, vibrant, delicious vegan cheese sauce.

Adding pumpkin to mac and cheese makes everything creamy and smooth like velvet. It's also a great (and insanely delicious) way to use up any leftover pumpkin lying around from baking pies, lattes, and all the other fall things.

It's also an excellent way to add some extra nutrients to your mac and cheese since pumpkin is loaded with antioxidants and vitamin A.

Let's get to the recipe so you can make this glorious thing ASAP!

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 box (16 oz/454 g) regular or gluten-free macaroni

• 2 cups unsweetened almond, soy, or oat milk

• 1 cup canned or oven-baked pumpkin (sugar pumpkin or hokkaido pumpkin with a little bit of olive oil and pinch of salt, then remove the skin once baked)

• 1/2 cup raw cashews or almonds

• 1/4 cup water, plus extra hot water for soaking the nuts

• 1 1/2 cups shredded vegan cheese

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 1/2 tablespoon white miso

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

• pinch of cayenne

• pinch of turmeric for extra color

• 1 tablespoon vegan butter

• Optional topping: ground black pepper, smoked paprika, vegan bacon bits, hot sauce

• Optional topping: breadcrumbs mixed with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, smoked paprika, and dried thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak cashews/almonds in hot (not boiling) water for 30 mins.

2. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni as per the box's instructions. Don't forget to add salt to the water for optimum flavor! Once cooked, set aside.

3. Drain the cashews/almonds and add to a high-speed blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients, except the butter.

4. Once the cheese sauce is blended until completely smooth, heat it in a saucepan on low/medium for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the vegan butter and mix.

5. Combine the cooked macaroni and sauce in the saucepan. Serve as is, or add your optional toppings. If you choose to add breadcrumbs, put the mac and cheese in oven-safe ramekins and top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake on convection at 350 degrees F or 180 degrees celsius until the breadcrumbs are golden. Enjoy! :)
   

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All the pumpkin love,

Ashley