Make a “cheesy” Dairy-Free Butternut Squash Sauce
For those who avoid cheese and are sensitive to dairy, mac and cheese is a comfort food that lives in distant memories, enjoyed back in the day when you didn’t know or care about what was causing your stomach cramps. With luck (and your plants), you can bring creamy paste back into your life. Whether you’re vegan, don’t like cheese, or are learning to eat a low-fat diet, this butternut squash pasta sauce makes an amazing mac and cheese.
Butternut squash has sweet, firm flesh that’s a beautiful orange color, so you can already imagine how cheesy the sauce will be. You can also repeat this recipe with any pumpkin that meets these criteria, such as acorn, deli, buttercup, or sugar pumpkin. Once squash season is over, feel free to use a bag of chopped and frozen squash whenever the urge strikes.
How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
Adding savory ingredients to the mix softens the sweet flavor of the pumpkin and brings out a wonderfully cheesy flavor. First, let’s cook the pumpkin. I peeled and seeded the fruit, cut it into one-inch slices, and tossed about 2 cups of squash into a steamer basket. If desired, the pumpkin can be fried or even boiled. Look for a very soft texture; you should be able to pierce it easily with a fork.
While the zucchini is cooking, cook two servings of pasta. Coarsely chop a shallot or two and fry them in a frying pan with a little oil. Place the squash and shallots in a food processor or blender along with 2/3 cup of the pasta water. Add spices. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of black pepper. Turn the machine on high and let the pumpkin puree become smooth, two to three minutes.
Once the mixture is as smooth as possible and has cooled slightly, add two tablespoons of vegan margarine or butter. Whisk the mixture until the fat is combined. Toss this sauce with the pasta and serve.
My food processor couldn’t puree the mixture to the consistency I was happy with, so I transferred it to a tall cup and used an immersion blender to puree it to a silkier consistency. To ensure your machine runs as efficiently as possible, be sure to fully cook or even overcook the squash first.
This sauce is zesty, salty, creamy and fantastic when mixed with pasta, but I bet it would be incredible with roasted broccoli. The best part is that you can actually go overboard with the sauce to pasta ratio and still feel just fine. It’s mostly pumpkin. Although the finished sauce is not as stretchy as real cheese, it is an excellent substitute for any roux-based cheese sauce. This butternut squash pasta sauce recipe is ripe for innovation, so add herbs, yogurt, or a splash of mustard; if you’re a meat eater, add bacon bits. Squash and bacon make an incredible team.
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 2 small shallots, chopped
- ½ teaspoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of black pepper
- ⅔ cup pasta water
- 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
Place the pumpkin in a steamer until very soft. Meanwhile, fry the shallots in a frying pan with oil until tender.
Add the shallots and cooked squash to a food processor or blender along with the salt, garlic powder, black pepper and pasta water. Stir until mixture is as smooth as possible, about three minutes. Add margarine and beat until thoroughly combined and smooth. Serve with vegetables, with proteins, or mix with two servings of cooked pasta for mac and cheese.