Vegan Spaghetti Squash Mac And Cheese

For many people, the ultimate king of comfort food is, without a doubt, Mac N Cheese. It is easy and quick to prepare, comforting and oh so savory!

For someone trying to eat clean though, traditional Mac and Cheese is not the best option… Because you know, pasta is NOT your friend when trying to stay lean.

Fortunately, there are many ways to replace pasta and even cheese in recipes nowadays, and this is exactly what we are going to do here!

In this recipe, we have decided to replace macaroni with spaghetti squash and it gave the dish a pretty interesting taste.

But the best benefit of doing so is the difference in calories between these two ingredients. 2 cups of cooked pasta contains 262 calories, while the same amount of cooked spaghetti squash only contains about 62 calories.

You are shaving a whopping 200 calories from your plate! That is enormous. Plus you are adding a wide range of vitamins and dietary fibers to your meal, which you would not get from eating pasta.

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Mac And Cheese

Replacing cheese with a mix of cashews, nutritional yeast and spices is done mostly for this recipe to be dairy-free and vegan. Both cheddar cheese and cashews are good for your health.

They contain multiple vitamins, minerals and good fats. Although cashew will raise the calorie count by a small notch (about 25 calories per portion), it is still insignificant.

We decided to spice the recipe with a mix of turmeric and paprika, both have impressive health benefits.

It is said that people who consume turmeric daily are less likely to suffer from various types of cancer, so this recipe is a good way to add more of this spice to your diet.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Mac And Cheese

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 231 kcal

Author One Clever Chef

Ingredients

• The sauce:
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup almond milk
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• Ingredients for the spaghetti squash:
• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Split the spaghetti squash lengthwise using a very sharp knife.
3. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
4. Brush the inside of the halves with olive oil then sprinkle with salt & pepper.
5. Place the halves face-down on a baking sheet.
6. Pierce the top of the halves twice with a fork.
7. Place in the oven for about an hour.
8. Meanwhile: Place all of the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside. Remove the Spaghetti squash from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
9. Meanwhile: Gently heat the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, constantly whisking. Scrape the "spaghetti" from the halves and cut it using a long knife on a cutting board so most of it is between 1-2 inches long. Combine the "pasta" with the hot sauce in a large bowl.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Mac And Cheese

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 231 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 472mg21%

Potassium 390mg11%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 275IU6%

Vitamin C 3.5mg4%

Calcium 95mg10%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.