The Butternut Squash and greens add a lovely twist to the classic and much loved Mac 'n' Cheese recipe. Still equally delicious but with some added veggies- you cant go wrong really?!
You will need:
Ingredients:
-1/2 a Butternut Squash - the other half will keep perfectly fine in the fridge for a few days or alternatively peel, chop, boil up and then chill before freezing to use at a later date
-approx. 250g of Macaroni
-approx. 150g of greens (Spinach, Kale)
-4cloves of Garlic
-1 tsp of Garlic Powder
-1 tsp of Smoked Paprika
-1 large white Onion
-approx. 25g of fresh Parsley (optional)
-2 tsp of Wholegrain Mustard
-1 carton of plantbased single cream- I used Oatly (250ml)
-3 heaped tbsp of Nutritional Yeast - not essential if you don't have any
-1/2 a packet of Vivera 'bacon' bits or some other sort of 'facon'
-approx. 100g of plantbased cheeze - I used smoked applewood
-1/2 a Lemon's juice
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-Truffle oil (optional)
Topping:
-Crisps
-1/2 tsp of dried Sage
-1 tbsp of Nutritional Yeast
- more plantbased cheeze
Equipment:
-a medium size baking tray/pie dish
-a sharp knife
-a chopping board
-a large pan
-a medium size pan
-a colander
-a hand blender or potato masher
-Grater
-Peeler
-Garlic mincer
-a slotted spoon
Method:
-Preheat the oven to 180c gas mark 5/6
-Start by chopping the Squash in half, put the other half to one side and start peeling, removing seeds and chopping- then add to the medium size pan, cover with water and bring to the boil- cook until soft- approx. 20 minutes
-Next start peeling and dicing the Onion and add to the large pan with a splash of oil- start to fry on medium heat
-Peel and crush (or grate) the Garlic and then add to the same pan
-While you're waiting for the Squash to boil you can start prepping the topping; take a generous handful of crisps and start to crush using hands/ in a food bag or using a rolling pin, add in the Nutritional Yeast, Sage and grate in the Cheeze
-Next add the 'Bacon' bits, Smoked Paprika and Garlic Powder into the large pan with the Onion/Garlic and fry- you may need to add a little water if it's getting too dry
-Then wash and start to chop the greens and add them to the pan
-Check the Squash, if soft use the slotted spoon to gradually decant into the large pan- the aim is to save the water to reuse for boiling the Macaroni
-Add the Macaroni into the remaining water and boil for 5 minutes
-Meanwhile blend the Squash using the hand blender/potato masher, then add the Mustard, Nutritional Yeast, Cream, Lemon Juice, Salt, Pepper, and grate in the Cheeze- mix thoroughly, have a taste - season more if needed
-Drain the Macaroni, mix in to the sauce thoroughly and then decant into your baking tray/pie dish - carefully sprinkle over the topping and then bake in the oven for around 25-30 minutes
-Serve with a drizzle of Truffle oil, on its own or with whatever you fancy: salad, chips, sautéed garlicky broccoli, between two bits of bread-whatever!
