Dairy-Free Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (No Gluten or Lactose!)
This gluten-free dairy-free mac and cheese gets its creamy base from a mixture of pumpkin puree, cashews, and plant-based milk. It's truly the best lactose-free macaroni and cheese recipe I’ve ever made using only whole foods, including healthy wilted kale! For your lactose-free milk, feel free to use any of the following: almond milk, oat milk, hemp milk, coconut milk or the recommended cashew!
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 12 ounces gluten-free brown rice fusilli
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bunch kale stems removed and finely chopped
- 7 ounces organic Pumpkin Puree
- 1 cup cashew milk or other plant-based milk (see notes)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon white miso or chickpea miso
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs optional
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler.
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, cover the cashews in boiling water and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of heavy salted water to boil and cook the gluten-free pasta until a minute shy of the packaged directions. Drain thoroughly.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a blender.
- Add the kale to the pan and sauté over medium heat until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss together with the cooked pasta. Set the skillet aside.
- To the blender bowl containing the onion mixture, add the pumpkin puree, lactose-free milk, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, miso, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender. Puree the dairy-free "cheese" mixture until very smooth and the consistency of a velvety soup.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, if using.
- Pour the lactose-free pumpkin sauce over the gluten-free pasta and stir until it coats every noodles. Spread in an even layer and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, if using.
- Transfer the skillet to the broiler and brown for 5 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Enjoy hot, straight from the pan.