For those who don’t like cheese or are dairy-sensitive, mac and cheese is a comfort food that brings with it some uncomfortable consequences — until now. As luck would have it, those who have to avoid cheese can bring mac and cheese back into their lives with a simple recipe tweak. Substituting butternut squash for cheese will allow you to enjoy a faux mac and cheese that reveals a surprisingly cheese-like flavor, minus the consequences. The sauce is savory, salty, creamy, and fantastic when tossed with pasta. The best part is that you can really over-do the sauce-to-pasta ratio and still feel good about it because it’s mostly squash. If you’re a meat eater, toss in some fresh bacon bits and you’ll think you died and went to heaven.
Ingredients
- · 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- · 2 small shallots, chopped
- · ½ teaspoon oil
- · ½ teaspoon salt
- · ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- · A crack of black pepper
- · ⅔ cup pasta water
- · 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
Directions
- · Toss the butternut squash into a steamer and cook until very tender.
- · Meanwhile, sauté the shallots in a pan with the oil until tender.
- · Add the shallots and cooked squash to a food processor or blender, along with the salt, garlic power, black pepper, and pasta water.
- · Blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible, about 3 minutes.
- · Add the margarine and pulse until fully incorporated and smooth.
- · Serve over 2 servings of cooked pasta.
