Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (1 pan!)

This baked pumpkin mac and cheese is one of my new favorite pasta dishes. The dry pasta cooks in the creamy pumpkin sauce to absorb all the flavor. Delicious vegan comfort food at it’s finest.

Author: Rachel Domb

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Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (1 pan!)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cashews (soaked in hot water for 4+ hours or overnight)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard (optional)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 4.25 cup water
• 2 cups of cubed pumpkin or squash (optional but recommended)
• Pasta of choice 
• Breadcrumbs (optional) 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F. 
2. In a blender or food processor, add the soaked cashews and 1 cup of water. Blend until the cashews turn into a smooth paste.
3. Then, add in the pumpkin puree, garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Blend everything well until you have a smooth and creamy sauce.
4. In a casserole dish, add the pumpkin sauce with the remaining 3.25 cups of water. Stir together to create a thin sauce.
5. Add cubed pumpkin and dry pasta of choice - roughly 12oz - or enough to be completely submerged in the sauce, so there aren't many pieces of pasta poking out of the sauce. This is so the pasta cooks completely and absorbs all the sauce. 
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then add your breadcrumbs and bake for another 10-15!