NOTE: As a member of The Kitchn Cabinet, I was given free products from Daiya Foods in exchange for a recipe post. All opinions and thoughts in this post/all related posts are my own, and were not influenced by the company and/or its affiliates.
Happy fall, y’all! The weather here in New York is cooling down, the trees have started to turn, and you’d better believe I have decorative gourds and cinnamon brooms ALL over the place. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love this season, and even if I did, I wouldn’t believe them. We all know they secretly ask for pumpkin syrup at the Starbucks drive-thru. (Just own it.)
This year though, I will admit that the crisp air is bringing with it some conflicting feelings. The beautiful spring and summer weather really alleviated a lot of cabin fever during quarantine, and it’s going to be a different situation when the weather gets colder. The holidays will be different than usual too, but since food is exempt from social distancing protocol, I’m soothing my worries by developing ALL the holiday recipes and preparing my kitchen for the cold weather. (Just ask the 15 qts. of homemade stock I made yesterday.)
When I was thinking about what might be a fun, new addition to Thanksgiving this year, my mind wandered back to a recipe I posted on this blog MANY moons ago: Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheeze. When Daiya sent me their new Cheddar Style Cutting Board Cheeze Shreds to try, I knew immediately that I wanted to make my pumpkin mac again, but make it taste and look even better this time. (The OG recipe was posted seven years ago and shot on an iPhone… It was good, but we’ve grown a bit since.)
Mac and cheese is one of those comfort food mainstays that has a place at the dinner table no matter the season or the reason, but this recipe is made for fall. The creamy sauce is spiced up with pumpkin puree and just the right pinch of autumnal herbs and spices that will keep you coming back for seconds (and probably thirds, let’s be real).
On the plus side, using Daiya makes this dish totally plant-based! Even though I’m not vegan, I am always looking to reduce my intake of animal products and dairy, and with this cheeze, I don’t even miss the real cheddar. It melts down into a smooth sauce just like cheese would, and tastes delicious. I was impressed. Non-vegans, believe me: you won’t even know this recipe is dairy-free.
This recipe is very simple, so feel free to give it your spin! It would be delicious baked with some spiced panko breadcrumbs (and more cheeze) on top, and the chilled leftovers would be mighty tasty fried up into mac and cheeze bites. And, the sauce by itself would be DELICIOUS as a dip or on top of nachos! Give it a try this season, and let me know how you love it. 😉
The best mac and cheese for fall. So creamy, you won’t even know it’s plant-based!
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
1 lb. elbow pasta
2–3 Tbs. sea salt for boiling
Sauce:
2 Tbs. vegan butter
2 Tbs. all purpose or oat flour
1 & 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (I used oat milk)
3/4 cuppumpkin puree
2 tsp. dijon mustard
3/4 cup (or more) Daiya cheddar-style cheeze shreds
1/2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp. thyme (fresh or dried)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
Boil salted water for the pasta. While you wait, gather and measure out the remaining ingredients.
Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. Then, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain. Set aside.
Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add the flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth, slightly browned, and smells nutty.
Add your plant-based milk. Bring to a light simmer, then whisk in the pumpkin puree and dijon mustard until smooth.
Add the vegan cheeze shreds. Whisk thoroughly until the cheeze has completely melted down into the sauce, then mix in the rosemary, thyme, paprika, cinnamon, and pepper. Gradually add reserved pasta water until the sauce is creamy and shiny (it may seem a little thin, but it will thicken as it cools).
Pour the sauce over the pasta, toss to combine, and serve.
