Think EXTRA creamy, EXTRA cheesy, EXTRA comfort food at its finest. All made without any dairy! Completely vegan AND gluten-free! HA! Miracles do exist! and speaking of miracles ITS SNOWING! Santa must be on his way 😉 14 days and counting!!!
I have to say I have been craving any type of warm “bowls” lately… you know, Oatmeal in the morning, Soup for lunch and I don’t know something nice and warm & soothing / comfort food style for dinner! Probably because it gets COMPLETELY dark at 5 o’clock and my pajamas are on at 5:01, christmas tree is lit, tunes are on and the feeling of hibernation has 100% set in.
I had 3 butternut squash and I pondered on what to make with them for about a minute before I knew that all I absolutely wanted to do was puree it up into the most amazing thick sauce and pour it over a big bowl of noodles! So that’s exactly where this whole MAC N’ CHEESE recipe came to life!
I’m a garlic lover and anyone who really knows me knows I can’t really cook a meal without at least a clove! SO with that said I roasted up some garlic cloves, along with some cut up cubed shaped squash in the oven for about 50 minutes. When she was all done I let them both cool for a few minutes and then added them to my KitchenAid Blender along with 3 heaping tablespoons of BRAGG nutritional yeast , salt/pepper, paprika, all-spice, onion powder & oregano.
I really wanted the sauce to be EXTRA creamy and cheesy so I added in 2 & 1/2 cups of So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk int the blender and off she went like a rocket!
Immediately you could smell the aroma of all of the spices, herbs, garlic and squash all mixing together. It was such a heavenly moment! The best part about it is its such an easy clean up using only one mixer and one baking sheet for the entire recipe!
I am going to rewind for a second because I actually was inspired to make this recipe the moment I walked into the pasta & bean aisle at one of my favourite organic health food stores The Peanut Mill noticing they had just started to stock a local pasta company not far from home called Chickapea Pasta made from 100% organic chickpeas & lentils. I picked up a box and decided to give it a try! Also my love for @chosenfoods just grew astronomically as they have been so kind to send my husband and I an entire box full of there products to try out and we have been loving every moment so THANK YOU CHOSEN FOODS!
Back to the main ingredient — Chickpea pasta company uses “Pulses” what are pulses you might ask? Well they are the dried seed of peas, edible beans, lentils and chickpeas and are very high in protein and fibre, and low in fat. This makes them a healthy addition to any meal!
After my sauce made up of entire whole organic goodness was all finished pureeing, I tested out the thickness and creaminess and loved how perfect it looked and tasted so I puree her over the entire box of cooked pasta and mixed her up reallllllyyyy good 🙂
Are you drooling yet???
Me too. :):):)
WARNING: Watch as you pour this amazingly extra creamy dish into a baking pan to cook as she has a tendency to splatter! And extra excitement may do this to you as it did to me!
Instead of crumbling breadcrumbs of making a crispy topping I decided to just sprinkle some extra hemp seeds on top to add some more nutrition and texture to the look and taste.
Pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees and cooking the mac n’ cheese for 25-30minutes , keeping a close eye as everyone’s oven has different strengths and you don’t want the edges to burn.
and VOILA! she is perfect!!!
Extra creamy, Extra cheesy, and Extra comfort ALL in one big bowl. No guilt, No upset tummy, No worries! Just a beautiful home-cooked, cozy, winter meal to enjoy maybe with some fresh sourdough (for dipping) and a side of fresh greens. For those of you who are NOT vegan, go ahead and sprinkle a bit of your favourite cheese on top if you wish to add a little more of a cheesy kick! The nutritional yeast really does do an unreal job at making this dish extra cheesy tasting so really no added cheese is necessary!
Thanks to The Peanut Mill, Chickapea, So Delicious, KitchenAid, Chosen Foods, BRAGG, and Cuisinart for making this simple, healthy, delicious MAC N’ CHEESE recipe come together so effortlessly! You’re all wonderful and amazing!
CHEERS, and Happiest Holiday Season to you all!
(vegan) 
(gluten-free) 
(dairy-free)
