Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

This mac and cheese is the perfect fall meal! Healthy and delicious! My favorite way to serve it is with hot sauce (as I did in the picture above!)

Makes 6+ servings 
Ingredients:

• 10 oz. macaroni pasta

Sauce 

• 1 cup cashews, soaked in one cup hot water for one hour
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
•  1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1/2 butternut squash, cooked 
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice 
• 1/3 cup Daiya cheese (optional) 

Topping

• 1 cup breadcrumbs 
• 1 cup Daiya cheese 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook macaroni pasta according to package directions. 
3. Put cashews in blender and blend until creamy. Depending on the blender, this may take up to 5 minutes. 
4. In the meantime, bring a pan with the olive oil to medium heat. Add onion and sautée until translucent. 
5. Add garlic and sautée for about 30 seconds. Add onion and garlic to blender with cooked butternut squash, nutritional yeast, Dijon, and lemon juice and blend until smooth. If the cheese is too thick for your liking, add some plant based milk (unsweetened and unflavored) until itgets to yourdesired thickness.
6. Add macaroni to a 7”x13” pan and mix in the sauce. For more flavor, mix in Daiya cheese. 
7. Once everything is mixed in, top the macaroni and cheese with 1 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1 cup Daiya cheese. 
8. Cover with aluminum foil and put in the over for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, increase the temperature to 400° F and remove the aluminum foil. Bake for 5-10 more minutes until topping is crispy. Take out of oven and serve when cooled.