So this isn’t the prettiest recipe I have ever posted, but it might be one of the tastiest. I am a (recovering) perfectionist. This picture has been in my phone for a while now, though I never posted it because I didn’t love the way it looked. The mac-n-cheese itself is delicious, so I finally came around to pushing my inner perfectionist aside and publishing this recipe.
You can easily make this recipe vegan by eliminating the chicken and subbing non-dairy cheese shreds for the real cheese. This bowl makes for the perfect cold weather meal as the spice heats you right up!
Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 box Banza® pasta, cooked per box instructions
- 1lb cooked chicken breast, shredded
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
Directions: heat oven to 425°F. Toss butternut squash and onion in olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Place in the oven a cook for approximately 25 minutes until cooked through. In the meantime, bring vegetable broth to a boil and add cauliflower florets and garlic, cooking until very tender. Once finished, transfer roasted squash, onion, and cooked cauliflower (plus vegetable broth) into a high –speed blender. Puree until smooth. Add in shredded cheddar. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take the cooked pasta and add in shredded chicken. Pour 1 cup of cheddar sauce on top and mix until combined. Top with hot sauce and stir until just incorporated. Enjoy!
Bonus- save a few of the cauliflower florets and toss them in the hot sauce. Roast them in the oven at 425ºF for approximately 20 minutes until tender. Add them into the finished pasta dish for some additional veggies 🙂
