Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Bake
Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Bake. Easy Creamy Pumpkin Sauce with pasta, topped with crisp sage and breadcrumbs. Vegan Soyfree Recipe Nutfree option
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 7 oz cooked pasta
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion or shallots
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup sage julienned, divided
- red pepper flakes to taste
Sauce:
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree or use butternut puree for variation
- 1 3/4 cup non dairy milk such as almond, soy or cashew milk for creamier sauce
- 1 tbsp starch such as corn or arrowroot, or use flour
- 2 to 4 tbsp nutritional yeast for cheesiness. ( Easily omitted, or use 1 tsp miso for similar flavor)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 to 2 tsp mustard (natural stoneground), less or more to preference, if using ground, use 1/2 tsp and add 1 tsp lemon juice
- additional flavors - dashes of cinnamon, smoked paprika, add tomato paste, some vegan cheddar
Topping:
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to instruction on package, rinse in cold water and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C).
- Add 2 tsp oil in a baking dish. Sprinkle the onion, garlic, a third of the sage and pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Bake for 6 to 8 mins.
- Meanwhile, blend the sauce ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
- Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish. Add the sauce and toss well. Add some sage and mix in.
- Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining sage, salt and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Spread the breadcrumb topping on the pasta. Bake for 20 to 25 mins. Broil for a minute. Let it sit for a few mins before serving.
- To freeze: Bake the mac with half the breadcrumb topping for 20 mins, cool completely and freeze the container. Use foil to seal the top surface of the mac and cheese to avoid freezer burn, or transfer portions to containers whih fit the mac with the least air space on top.To reheat: Thaw overnight, add breadcrumb topping and bake for 15 mins or so until heated through and golden on top.
Video
Notes
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta and breadcrumbs or use 3 tbsp almond meal instead of breadcrumbs to make the topping.
You can use any squash puree in this bake.
If using dried sage, use a mix of rubbed and ground, about 2 tsp rubbed and 1/2 to 1 tsp ground. Dried ground sage is generally a strong flavor as it gets compacted, so use less to begin with and add more as needed.
Nutrition is for 1 Serve
Nutrition
Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 647mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 7265IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 2.4mg