Bunner’s Mac and Cheese Recipe

Makes enough for 2 hungry people, or 4 sides
This dish is so simple, it’s almost too good to be true. It’s ideal for a week night meal: the sauce is a snap to make, and if you’re in a real rush, you don’t even need to bake it. Throw in some chopped greens like kale or broccoli, or add a smoky kick with a little bit of chopped chipotle. This dish can also be doubled easily if you have a bigger troop of tummies to fill.

You will need:

• 8 ounces brown rice elbow pasta
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
• 1¼ cups coconut milk beverage
• 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
• 1 cup Daiya mozzarella-style shreds
• 1 15-oz can puréed butternut squash (or 1½ cups roasted and puréed squash)
• ½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs
• ½ to 1 teaspoon paprika

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk briskly to combine. Slowly whisk in the arrowroot starch.

Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add the mozzarella shreds and slowly whisk until melted, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and whisk until everything is combined and heated through. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, stirring gently to combine. Season to taste.

Pour the mixture into an ovenproof baking dish—either a 9-inch (round) glass pie plate or a 9- × 9-inch square dish works well.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Add the bread crumbs and toss to coat well, then sprinkle evenly over the pasta. Top with a sprinkling of paprika. Bake for 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to bubble. Serve hot with a side salad and ketchup or hot sauce.

This recipe is from Bunner’s Bakeshop (Twitter: @BunnersBakeShop /  Instagram: Bunner)  They are a bake shop producing 100% vegan and gluten-free baked goods that are traditional and tastes as great if not better—than their gluten, egg and dairy-ful counterparts.