AWWW yeah, it’s time to get pumped, this recipe is off the charts delicious, and I’m so excited to share it with you. It’s all the comforting, rich and herby flavors that come with stuffing, wrapped into a creamy baked mac and cheese, what more could you possibly ask for this Thanksgiving? Seriously, get ready to knock your entire family’s socks off with The Best Stuffing Flavored Mac and Cheese.
The story behind this recipe is very simple, I had thought about veganizing my family stuffing recipe, or our Armenian Mac and Cheese recipe (Cheese Bedag is what it’s called), but both of those recipes are so perfect, that it felt like a betrayal to mess with them at all.
Instead, this recipe meets in the middle and most importantly doesn’t sacrifice any flavor. It still has the buttery, richness of stuffing, along with the bold, comforting flavors of sauteed onions, leeks, and herbs like sage, basil and rosemary. It’s also loaded with mushrooms which adds a meaty texture spread throughout.
It also has all the same rich creaminess of all the best mac and cheese recipes out there. Another cool thing is that the cheese sauce utilizes a seasonal vegetable, butternut squash. The squash, along with the cashews, are what gives the cheese sauce it’s thick creaminess and the squash gives it that cheese sauce coloring.
This recipe also reheats magically so really, it’s not just a Thanksgiving recipe, it can be re-purposed anytime you’re really craving a carby comforting meal.
Lots of Love,
Jackie
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup cashews (see notes)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (neutral flavored)
- ¼ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup pickled jalapenos
- 3 tbsp pickled jalapeno brine
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 box macaroni noodles
- 2 tbsp butter (for Vegan substitute vegan butter or olive oil)
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 leek, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 tbsp rubbed sage
- 1 cup water from cooking macaroni
- 1-2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While it's preheating, start on the cheese sauce. Cover the butternut squash with water in a medium size pot. Bring to a boil and then boil until the squash becomes soft. It should take around 15 minutes.
- When the squash is softened, drain it and transfer it to a high speed blender. Add the cashews, vegetable oil, almond milk, nutritional yeast, potato starch, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, tomato paste, pickled jalapenos, jalapeno brine, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. Blend on high until it it's smooth. Set the cheese sauce aside.
- In the same pot you cooked the squash in, cook the macaroni according to the directions on the package.
- Heat the butter or olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and leeks until the leeks soften and the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and mushrooms. Saute for 8-10 minutes until the mushrooms cook down. Add in the basil, rosemary and sage and toss to combine.
- Next, pour the cheese sauce into the pan, stir until everything is mixed and then heat it until the sauce starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and pour the breadcrumbs over the top. The entire top should be covered.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the top becomes browned.
