If you’re looking for a hearty option to satisfy the vegans at your holiday table, this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese recipe is the creamy, rich dish you never knew you needed. It’s loaded with feel-good flavors and a rich yellow color everyone loves in their mac. And if you really want to impress the veggie-loving person on your list, consider taking them to the restaurant to taste the dish in person—easily one of the best gifts under $30 we can think of.

“The combination of the cashews and the boiled butternut squash really comes together to make the most epic cheese sauce,” explain chefs Alex Mazzucca and Cara Duerr of Seed to Sprout restaurant in New Jersey.

“This is the perfect way to highlight fall produce and you can even swap out another favorite root veggie, like sweet potatoes or pumpkin, for the butternut squash. We highly recommend browsing your local fall farmers market for inspiration.”

And if you love this, browse our entire recipe archives for more inspiration.

Ingredients

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
2 cups diced butternut squash, boiled until tender
½ cup raw cashews (soaked 1 hour)
¼ cup nutritional yeast (we love this cheap, tasty and high-quality one!)
1 tbsp sea salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic
¼ cup filtered water (or very high-quality tap)
½ cup shelled walnuts (the smaller bits and pieces are usually cheaper and fine to use here)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Boil the butternut squash until tender. Strain and set aside.
While your butternut squash is cooking, pulse the breadcrumb ingredients in a food processor until finely ground.
Fill a medium pot with water, add a sprinkle of sea salt, and bring to a boil.
Boil pasta according to directions.
While your pasta is cooking, Place all of your butternut squash ingredients into a high-speed blender or a food processor, and puree until smooth and creamy. Transfer cream to a mixing bowl.
Drain and rinse the cooked pasta and add to your butternut squash cream. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Transfer to a lightly oiled 8×8 baking dish and top evenly with the desired amount of walnut breadcrumbs.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden.

Gear you’ll need

A blender or food processor, we like this Ninja Compact Kitchen System that’s ideal for everything from vegan breadcrumb toppings to creamy soups and smoothies
An 8 x 8 baking dish. We love this glass version you’ll use for just about everything—it even comes with a lid for leftovers (if you have any).

You can read Seed to Sprout’s menu here and then visit the Avon-by-the-Sea location in New Jersey whenever you find yourself exploring the Jersey Shore and the endless supply of New Jersey mansions we cover here.