Description
Cheesy, creamy, and cozy Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese w/ Sage Breadcrumbs. This Mac & Cheese is the perfect fall dinner. It’s quick and easy enough to be a busy weeknight dinner but looks and feels a little more fancy and could be a wonderful dinner for a date night in. Serve with garlic bread or roasted vegetables and a nice glass of wine.
Ingredients
Units Scale
Sage Breadcrumbs:
- 1 tablespoon Vegan Butter
- 2 tablespoons Chopped Sage Leaves
- 3/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Pumpkin Mac & Cheese:
- 1lb Rigatoni or Pasta of Choice
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Half a Large Sweet Onion, diced
- 3–4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons Chopped Sage Leaves
- 3/4 cup Pumpkin Purée
- 3/4 cup Unsweetened Plant Milk
- 1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 teaspoons White Miso Paste
- 1 teaspoon Ground Mustard Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Melt the vegan butter in a pan on medium heat. Add the chopped sage and breadcrumbs and toss constantly until golden brown. This happens fast, about 2 minutes.
- Remove and transfer to a bowl. Stir in nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Dice the onion and add to a pan heated to medium-high heat along with the olive oil. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft and starting to brown. Add in minced garlic and chopped sage leaves. Cook for another 2 minutes and turn off heat.
- Add the cooked onion mixture to a blender along with the pumpkin puree, plant milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, miso paste, ground mustard, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- In a large pot on medium heat, combine the pasta and pumpkin cheese sauce. Use the reserve pasta water and thin out your sauce as needed. It thickens as it sets.
- Taste and add more salt & pepper, if needed.
- Divide the pasta in to serving dishes and top with sage breadcrumbs. Enjoy!
Notes
Reheating: Re-heat on the stove top with a splash of unsweetened plant milk and toss until creamy and warmed through. Keep leftover breadcrumbs separate and add once plated.
Keywords: pumpkin pasta, pumpkin Mac and cheese, Mac and cheese, vegan Mac and cheese, vegan pumpkin Mac and cheese, sage breadcrumbs, Mac and cheese with breadcrumbs