I can’t believe that I’m about to say this but I like this vegan mac and “cheese” better than my recipe for mac and cheese which calls for actual cheese. Honestly, I do. It’s so “cheesy!” And creamy and delicious! The pumpkin adds color and a bit of sweetness and the nutritional yeast is what gives the dish its cheesy flavor. I had my one-year-old, Tony, “taste test” this for me and he just loves it! I love having an adorable taste-tester who actually eats what I make without asking me twenty questions first. My (also adorable) husband always wants to know what “funny” things I’ve put into recipes (heh, like nutritional yeast) but Tony doesn’t question me. That kid just gobbles up whatever I give him. Except avocado. He has a strong aversion to avocado, which only makes me a little sad considering it was his first food. I think I over did it back in the day (you know, like 4-5 months ago) but I guess that’s neither here nor there considering there’s no avocado in this recipe… Getting back on track now… this pumpkin mac and cheese is a winner you guys. Sometimes I even surprise myself with how well my recipe ideas turn out (cue: eye roll). Look at the creamy sauce coating these little noodles – can you believe that there’s no cheese in this? It’s true, I’m basically a food genius. I used canned pumpkin in this recipe but you can use mashed sweet potato or butternut squash or basically any variety of potato/squash. I’m just riding the pumpkin train because it’s fall (see my pumpkin recipes here). This recipe calls for gluten-free elbow macaroni – I’ve tried several different brands of gluten-free noodles and this brand is the only one that works for me every single time. Try this once and I’m sure you’ll be mackin’ on this mac. I’m sure I used the phrase incorrectly. That’s probably not a thing people even say anymore (did anyone say it ever?). I wonder if Tony will read my blog one day and be like “omg my mom was so uncool.” Or maybe he’ll always think I’m the greatest (ha. yes, yes wishful thinking, I know). Make this pumpkin’ mac y’all. It only takes 4 minutes, so make it then come back and tell me how much you liked it! Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board now so you will remember to make it later!
