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The Best Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (dairy free, gluten free)

September 16, 2020 by Mia Zarlengo 18 Comments

The Best Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese with broccoli in a bowl on a white towel

One of the best meals I’ve had in awhile! This creamy butternut squash and cauliflower mac and cheese sauce is out of this world good!

A sauce made out of veggies? Yes please! And, I swear it tastes cheesy without the cheese! It’s perfectly savory, creamy, and full of flavor. And so nutritious!

So perfect with some pasta shells (I used gluten free) and steamed broccoli. You can toss in any veggies you love, and a protein if you wan it! It’s super versatile, easy to make, and picky eater approved!

The Best Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese with broccoli in a bowl on a white towel

This recipe was based off my original baked cauliflower mac and cheese, which I am equally obsessed with! This one skips the baking portion, and has some butternut squash added for a fall twist (plus a nutrient boost and a gorgeous orange color).

This can be kept totally dairy free by using a vegan butter, too! I love the butter flavor that this adds, so I recommend either sticking to regular or dairy free butter (instead of an oil).

The Best Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese with broccoli in a bowl on a white towel

I could eat this every day I swear! It would never get old. I know you guys will love this one! xo

Let me know what you think if you make this by leaving a rating and comment below! Thank you so much! 🙂

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The Best Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (dairy free, gluten free)

★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Mia Zarlengo
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Category: Lunch, Dinner
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Description

The best healthy mac and cheese! Made with cauliflower and butternut squash! 


Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp ghee, butter, or vegan butter
  • 1/2 of a yellow or white onion, finely diced
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1.5 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4–1/3 cup butternut squash puree 
  • Plain unsweetened dairy free milk as needed, up to 1/2 cup (can sub regular milk)
  • 1 lb of your favorite pasta

Optional additions:

  • Steamed broccoli
  • Parmesan for topping
  • Chicken, ground turkey, or any protein

Instructions

  1. Start by making the sauce. Heat a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Once hot, add ghee or butter and stir in onions. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Stir in minced garlic and allow to cook for about 30 seconds, then stir in the chopped cauliflower.
  3. Add the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and pepper to the pot and give everything a good stir. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until cauliflower is fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to directions on box. 
  5. When cauliflower is soft, remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Carefully add everything from the pot for the sauce to a blender, plus the butternut squash puree and 1/4 cup of milk of choice. Blend everything until smooth, and add more milk as needed. 
  6. Mix the sauce with the pasta and any add ins of choice. Top with parmesan (optional) and enjoy! 

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Filed Under: Lunch + Dinner, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Gayle

    September 17, 2020 at 5:43 am

    This was amazing! Made this with pumpkin instead of butternut squash, used leftover beef pho broth which made this taste amazing. Didn’t need any milk. Put this over miracle noodle macaroni. Topped it with crispy roasted cauliflower and a Parmesan cheese. We all loved it and will make again!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      September 17, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      Ok this sounds amazing!! Love how you tweaked it! So glad you enjoyed it thank you Gayle! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Harley

    September 21, 2020 at 12:16 am

    This was amazing!! Thank you so much for the recipe.

    Reply
  3. emilly

    October 1, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    how many calories are in this? i use an app to track them so it helps me make sure i’m not eating to much but i can’t put it in without knowing that 🙁

    Reply
  4. Marquel

    October 1, 2020 at 8:42 pm

    Is the butternut squash purée cooked? I bought precut butternut squash. Do I cook it and then purée?

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      October 1, 2020 at 10:15 pm

      Yes mine was from the can so it’s cooked! You’ll have to steam your squash until tender then purĂ©e!

      Reply
  5. m r

    October 6, 2020 at 11:39 pm

    can i use butternut squash soup instead of purée?

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      October 7, 2020 at 4:18 pm

      It will be a bit more thin but will work! You can also sub steamed butternut squash!

      Reply
  6. Tori

    October 18, 2020 at 1:26 pm

    Sooo good! I couldn’t find butternut squash purĂ©e so I just roasted some and then added bite sized pieces in the blender with the rest of the sauce and it came out great! I love how versatile this recipe is, I added ground turkey and broccoli, but could easily add any protein/veggie combo! Thanks Mia! 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Amy

    October 22, 2020 at 12:44 pm

    I have been changing my eating habits and you recipes have done in handy, though I’m still not ready to cut of dairy. What can I use instead of nutritional yeast to add the cheesy flavor?

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      October 23, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      Parmesan would work!

      Reply
  8. Abby

    October 29, 2020 at 10:13 pm

    This is AMAZING!!! I love the Panera Mac and cheese and this tastes almost the same! I didn’t have milk so I used around a tbs plain Greek yogurt and some water and it made it so creamy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      October 30, 2020 at 12:45 am

      What a sweet compliment thank you sooo much Abby!! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Olivia

    January 8, 2021 at 11:10 pm

    This recipe is absolutely delicious! I’m already craving more. I made mine with Banza shell pasta and this entire dish is veggie/nutrient packed. My boyfriend tried some and also enjoyed it. We both agreed we would probably call it “Creamy Vegan Pasta” instead, but that might be our non-vegan bias. We love cooking vegan dishes and eating whole, healthy foods.
    Mia, thank you so much for the yummy recipe, I will surely make it again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Kirsten

    January 10, 2021 at 1:16 am

    A-ma-zing!!!!!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. lily

    January 29, 2021 at 12:29 am

    I never knew one food could be so heavenly good

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Gabriella

    March 1, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    I will be making this tonight. I was wondering is you blended the cauliflower as well. Or did you just put it aside and added it later? Thank you in advance đŸ„°

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      March 2, 2021 at 2:21 am

      Yes you blend it in! 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome! I am so happy you chose to gather around my table. My name is Mia Zarlengo, and I am a registered dietitian with a passion for simple healthy recipes, women's hormonal health, and overall wellness! Read More


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