Butternut Mac and Cheese

Method

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1. Put the squash, potato, onion, garlic and cashews in a pan with the 600 ml of water. Bring to a boil and simmer 18 minutes, until everything is completely soft.

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2. Tip the lot — vegetables and cooking water together — into a blender. Do not drain it; that water is full of starch.

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3. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, paprika, salt, white pepper, nutmeg and olive oil.

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4. Blend for a full 90 seconds, until absolutely smooth and glossy. Under-blended cashews leave the sauce grainy.

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5. Cook the macaroni to 2 minutes short of the packet time and drain.

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6. Fold the pasta into the sauce — it will look too loose, and it will thicken in the oven.

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7. Tip into a 23 x 33 cm dish. Toss the panko with the oil, nutritional yeast and paprika and scatter over.

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8. Bake at 200°C / 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and the crumb is deep golden.

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9. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

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Chef’s Tips

• Blend the vegetables in their cooking water. Draining it costs you the starch that makes the sauce cling.
• Ninety seconds in the blender. Cashews need longer than you think.
• Leave it looser than looks right; the pasta drinks a surprising amount in the oven.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Panko gives the crunchiest crust here, but ordinary dried breadcrumbs will still fry crisp if that's what's in the cupboard.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• A sharp green salad
• Hot sauce
• Roasted broccoli

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 4 days. Reheat covered with a splash of plant milk. Freezes for 2 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.