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Chickpea Mac and Cheese

This Chickpea Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food and is made healthier with a few key swaps!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups butternut squash (peeled and chopped into cubes)
  • ½ large sweet onion (roughly chopped)
  • 8 oz package Chickapea Penne
  • ¼ cup reserved cooking liquid (from the noodles)
  • ¼ cup raw cashews (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp dijon mustard
  • ⅛ tsp turmeric
  • ⅛ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ⅛ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot add onion and butternut squash covering with water by at least an inch or two. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer until veggies are tender (about 15 minutes, test butternut with a fork to check if it’s tender).
  • Cook chickpea pasta according to package instructions reserving ¼ cup cooking liquid once noodles are done cooking and before you drain.
  • Place noodles back in the pot and set aside (you can run cold water over them every 5 mins or so to prevent sticking).
  • When squash and onions are tender, drain then add them to a high speed blender with the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, dijon, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, turmeric, nutmeg and reserved cooking liquid from the pasta.
  • Blend until completely smooth. Use a tamper if necessary to push ingredients to the bottom of the blender.
  • Add butternut squash sauce to the pasta and stir, making sure every noodle is covered in sauce. Reheat if needed.