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    Home » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Main Courses » Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

    Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

    Published: May 3, 2018 · Modified: Apr 22, 2021 by Kate Ford · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
    JUMP TO RECIPE PRINT RECIPE BOOKMARK SAVED!

    This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is a creamy pasta bake with 'hidden' squash, topped with crispy breadcrumbs.  The ultimate comfort food!

    There's something about butternut squash.... more than any other vegetable I can think of, it becomes so incredibly velvety and creamy when cooked, making just about the best creamy vegan soups and sauces. 

    And of course when roasted it is beautifully sweet, mashed it makes a superb shepherds' pie topping, and thickly sliced, marinated and par-cooked beforehand, is totally more-ish on the BBQ.

    This is a proper, grown-ups mac and cheese - plenty of creamy sauce, a crispy topping and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan to finish.  I prefer to use a short rigatoni, (giant macaroni, if you like), but the small stuff works brilliantly too.

    Jump to:
    • ⏱ Speedy Shortcut
    • 📝 What you need
    • ❄️ Freezing
    • 👩🏽‍🍳 Variations on your mac and cheese
    • 🔪 What else can I make with Butternut Squash?
    • 🍽 If you liked that...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments and Reviews
    Butternut Squash Vegan Mac and Cheese - a lighter, vegan version of the ultimate comfort food #vegan #plantbased | thevegspace.co.uk

    ⏱ Speedy Shortcut

    I'll admit that sometimes I lack motivation for faffing with the thick skin of a butternut squash, trying not to lose a finger whilst chopping it, and those seeds that just stick to everything they touch. 

    When I started planning this recipe, I was really looking for a very low-effort but maximum-flavour way of cooking a butternut mac & cheese.

    Then I discovered the most useful cheat ingredient that seems to be springing up in lots of supermarkets at the moment - frozen butternut squash chunks.  Hooray! 

    They are just perfect in dishes like this when they will be blitzed to a purée.

    I find the texture a bit watery if you're roasting them, (depending on how you plan to use them), but they are perfect to use in a soup or sauce, and I think this saved me about 6-8 minutes of prep.

    The price (at Aldi) wasn't far off what I would pay for a fresh squash.  What's not to like?

    Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese in baking tin

    📝 What you need

    Ingredients

    Macaroni or similar pasta shape - in fact I tend to use rigatoni or similar as I prefer a chunkier pasta, but it is entirely up to you.

    Butternut squash I've written about my super-duper time saving idea above, to use frozen butternut squash chunks here. But of course it is absolutely fine to use fresh butternut squash instead. In fact any type of squash or pumpkin would work well here, depending on the season and what you can get hold of.

    Dairy-free milk I always use an unsweetened oat milk to make savoury sauces as I find it has the mildest flavour and makes a creamy sauce. Whichever plant milk you choose, do make sure that it is unsweetened, or the sauce becomes far too sweet with the addition of the squash.

    Onion gives a savoury base to the sauce - soften it gently, you don't need it to colour or go crispy in the pan.

    Garlic If you're in a hurry I recommend using ready-chopped garlic from a jar or tube, but of course fresh garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, are excellent if you have the time.

    Vegan cheese OR nutritional yeast flakes I give an either/or option here as vegans tend to have quite a strong opinion for or against which is best to use in a cheesy sauce! I usually choose to use vegan cheese but nutritional yeast goes give a deep, savoury flavour with a hit of vitamin B12 too so that's all good if you prefer it.

    Paprika adds a smokey note to the sauce. Sometimes I use a little cayenne pepper instead, but not in the same quantity - half a teaspoon would be plenty!

    Lemon sounds like a strange addition to a cheesy sauce but actually works so well - it tastes even more cheesy rather than lemony - give it a try!

    Breadcrumbs make a lovely crispy topping for your mac and cheese. I keep a zip-lock bag in the freezer for crusts of bread, then just toast and blitz them to crumbs whenever I need one. Making breadcrumbs from a fresh slice of bread is perfectly fine too, as is buying ready-made breadcrumbs if that's all you have time for!

    Vegan 'parmesan' This is optional but adds a lovely cheesy crisp to the topping. My favourite is Violife's Prosociano is really good and available at most supermarkets.

    ❄️ Freezing

    I've also found that this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese freezes really well - I portion it up into individual foil trays and it is really good to keep as a standby for those days when you don't have the time or energy to cook. 

    Just defrost before cooking, or transfer to a microwaveable dish, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, then finish under the grill to get that lovely crispy crust.

    Vegan Mac and Cheese

    👩🏽‍🍳 Variations on your mac and cheese

    There are so many variations you can make to this basic recipe. How about:

    • Add some chopped jalapeños from a jar to add a spicy kick?
    • Stir some chopped sun-dried tomatoes through the sauce before baking?
    • Boil some Tenderstem broccoli along with the pasta (add it half way through cooking time), then stir through the pasta and sauce, so you can eat your greens in the same dish?
    • Stir 2 tablespoon vegan pesto through the sauce for a herby twist? (Shop-bought or make your own from my pesto recipe).

    🔪 What else can I make with Butternut Squash?

    Butternut Squash is such a versatile vegetable, perfect as a side dish or the star of the show. How about trying:

    • Slow Cooker Butternut Dahl for a winter-warmer weeknight meal? Frozen butternut pieces would work really well in this one too.
    • Stuffed Butternut Squash Roast as a centrepiece for a roast dinner, with all the trimmings?
    • Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry for a flavour-packed spicy supper?

    What is your favourite butternut squash dish? Let me know in the comments below!

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    🍽 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    Homemade Arrabbiata Sauce
    Homemade Arrabbiata Sauce
    Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe
    Vegan Cheese Sauce
    Pangrattato
    Pangrattato Breadcrumbs
    Spicy Spaghetti Bolognese
    Spicy Vegan Bolognese

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

    Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    A creamy and velvety pasta bake topped with crispy breadcrumbs and vegan parmesan.  The ultimate comfort food.
    4.58 from 7 votes
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    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 544 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the Sauce:

    • 300 g frozen butternut squash chunks (or fresh butternut squash)
    • 2 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
    • 1 onion
    • 1 teaspoon garlic purée / ready-chopped garlic
    • 2 tablespoon plain flour
    • 2 teaspoon paprika
    • 500 ml dairy-free milk unsweetened - I like to use oat milk
    • 50 g vegan cheese or 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
    • 3 teaspoon mustard (check it is vegan)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ lemon

    For the pasta bake:

    • 300 g macaroni (or similar pasta shape)
    • 3 tablespoon breadcrumbs
    • 2 tablespoon vegan parmesan (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the butternut squash chunks.  Cook for 6-8 minutes until soft, then remove with a slotted spoon, (saving the water to boil the pasta in later).
    • Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Finely chop the onion and add to the pan, followed by the garlic.  Cook gently for 3-4 minutes until soft, then stir through the flour and paprika and cook for a further minute.
    • Stir the milk into the frying pan, adding a little at a time and stirring as you go.  Add the butternut squash chunks and cook for a further 2 minutes.
    • Add the pasta to the saucepan of water and boil for 8-10 minutes until soft.
    • Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
    • Add the vegan cheese or nutritional yeast, mustard, salt and juice of half the lemon to the frying pan, then tip everything into a blender (or use a hand-blender in the pan), and blitz to a very smooth sauce.
    • When the pasta is cooked, drain it and return to the saucepan, then tip in the sauce and stir through to fully coat the pasta.  
    • Tip the pasta into a large ovenproof dish, scatter with the breadcrumbs and vegan cheese then bake for 10-12 minutes until crispy and golden brown.

    ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1portionCalories: 544kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 18gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 926mgPotassium: 701mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 8568IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 294mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Mention @thevegspace or #thevegspace
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary Doris says

      October 15, 2018 at 4:47 pm

      Just made it. I don't know what I did wrong, but it is so bland. My kids were adding chilli flakes, hot sauce, tomato puree, loads of salt and pepper, just to get some flavour going. We ate it, as I hate seeing waste, but it wasn't to my taste.

      Reply
    2. Mary Doris says

      October 15, 2018 at 2:18 pm

      I've just made this. I used English mustard powder. Was the right thing to use? Too late now! I've also made this gluten free by subbing the flour, breadcrumbs and pasta for gluten free products.

      Reply
    3. Corina Blum says

      May 07, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      This sounds delicious and using the frozen butternut squash must save loads of time. I'll have to try it too! Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!

      Reply
    4. Kat (The Baking Explorer) says

      May 06, 2018 at 7:50 am

      Frozen squash is such a time saver, I love it! And your pasta dish sounds incredible!

      Reply
    5. Chichi says

      May 03, 2018 at 8:25 pm

      This is quite an interesting mix of ingredients. I love the creativity in this dish. Butternut squash is something I am getting familiar with. Definitely giving this recipe a go.

      Reply
    6. Alida | Simply Delicious says

      May 03, 2018 at 4:05 pm

      Love the fact that this can be served to vegans and meat eaters alike. Great recipe.

      Reply
    7. georgie says

      May 03, 2018 at 3:50 pm

      this looks so yummy and comforting! And I love the idea of using butternut squash on the recipe too! freaking LOVE squash!

      Reply
    8. Julia says

      May 03, 2018 at 1:44 pm

      Cutting butternut squash can be a real challenge indeed so I can tell you I would be buying those frozen chunks if they ever arrive in our supermarket! The recipe sounds delicious and easy to make 🙂

      Reply

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