
Pumpkin Mac n Cheese
Updated: Feb 14, 2021
Pure comfort food. Silky, satisfying and super cheesy sauce, garlic and sage roasted pumpkin vegan mac n cheese. Topped with a crunchy golden truffle oil-infused panko breadcrumb topping.

Ingredients
One medium pumpkin
2 large garlic cloves
3 fresh sage leaves (optional)
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for a few hours or overnight
2 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond)
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp plant-based butter
2 Tbsp plain flour
1 tsp cornstarch
½ cup vegan cheese (I used Daiya)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp truffle oil (optional)
400g macaroni / elbow pasta
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C, cut your pumpkin in half, deseed and rub a little olive oil, salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg over the flesh. Peel your garlic and place along with a sage leaf underneath each half of the pumpkin halves, skin side facing up on a baking tray. Roast for 15 mins, then flip and roast for another 10 minutes or until soft.
Remove the pumpkin from the oven and spoon the soft flesh into a blender along with the roasted garlic, soaked cashews, 1 cup of plant-based milk, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste. Blend on a medium to high speed until smooth.
To a large pot of salted boiling water add the macaroni and cook to packet instructions minus 2 minutes so the pasta is al dente. (You could use penne or fusilli if you don’t have macaroni to hand)
In a frying pan, add a little truffle oil (or 1 Tbsp of plant-based butter if you don’t have any) and add the remaining sage leaf and let it sizzle in the oil for a few minutes to release its aroma. Remove the sage leaf, add the panko breadcrumbs a little salt and pepper and fry on low, stirring until golden. Set aside.
To the frying pan, melt the butter