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)

  • Author: Mia Zarlengo
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 46 servings 1x
  • Category: Lunch, Dinner

Description

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


Ingredients

Scale
  • 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
  • 1/41/3 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! 

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Lunch + Dinner, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Category:

Sep 16, 2020

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

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to tag @gatherednutrition on INstagram so I can see what you made! Leaving a rating and review on the site is a huge help too!

  1. Gayle says:

    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!!

  2. Harley says:

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

  3. emilly says:

    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 🙁

  4. Marquel says:

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

  5. m r says:

    can i use butternut squash soup instead of purée?

  6. Tori says:

    Sooo good! I couldn’t find butternut squash purée 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! 🙂

  7. Amy says:

    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?

  8. Abby says:

    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!

  9. Olivia says:

    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.

  10. Kirsten says:

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

  11. lily says:

    I never knew one food could be so heavenly good

  12. Gabriella says:

    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 ????

  13. Hannah says:

    I made this for my family tonight and they loved it! I used banza shells and mixed in steamed broccoli at the end and it turned out so good! I love mac and cheese and this did not disappoint:)

  14. Maureen says:

    Yet another bomb recipe from Mia, I get even the pickiest eaters in my house to eat AND actually enjoy this recipe unlike some others I’ve tried to force feed them lol – for sure a go to when I want the comfort of regular mac and cheese without all the subsequent bloating #hotgirlswithgutprobs

  15. gabi says:

    I kept pushing this recipe away since I started following you because I seriously didn’t expect the satisfaction but I am so happily surprised. This was incredible! I’m so happy to have something that has the satisfaction and creaminess of having cheese without the hurting stomach and next-day breakout. I’m so happy I finally made it <3

  16. Lily says:

    This is literally so incredible! I only made a half pound of pasta. Would this sauce freeze well?

  17. Megan Carver says:

    This recipe is AMAZING! I can’t believe this is dairy free- it tasted better than normal mac & cheese with the added benefit of lots of veggies. I added cinnamon to the cauliflower as it was cooking and some paprika/cayenne for a little heat. I recommend adding both or just cinnamon if you don’t like spicy food. I used chickpea pasta and added chicken sausage, zucchini, mushrooms, onion, broccoli, and spinach to the pasta. Every single recipe on this site that I have made has been absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to make more!

    • Mia Swinehart says:

      I am so happy you loved this Megan! Your additions sound amazing!! Thank you so much for the sweet note 🙂

  18. Liz says:

    So delicious. We made this last night with steamed broccoli and grilled sausage mixed in and it was the most filling, satisfying meal. I have leftover sauce for tonight, too! Thank you!

  19. Zeynep says:

    Great recipe again! I skipped the nutritional yeast and the milk and added some paprika. Also, I used frozen cauliflower and butternut squash which was what I had on-hand and it was super quick and easy. You just add the frozen squash in ten mins after the cauliflower. Thanks Mia for this satisfying and yummy recipe!

  20. Alex Slack says:

    YUMMM! So satisfying, creamy and easy to make! I added brocollini on side and topped with a tiny bit of shredded parm! Best (almost) vegan mac n cheese I’ve ever had 🙂

  21. Grace says:

    So delicious! This dish is just the right balance between health food and comfort food. I added the only cheese I had (Asiago and Parmesan) but it would probably be good with any cheese, or even with just the nutritional yeast!

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Simple. Attainable. Gathered Nutrition.