Healthy Vegan Cheese Sauce
Delicious poured generously over your favorite steamed veggies, this versatile Vegan Cheese Sauce is also excellent in a Mac & Cheese and can even be used hot or cold as a dip for fresh veggies, crackers or chips.
Boy have I gotย some joy to bringย into your life todayโฆ This cheese sauce, guys,ย this cheese sauce!ย Iโm telling you, it will most definitely bring a littleย instant of delightย to any given day!
Firstly, because if youโre not yet familiar with it, itโll lead you to discover myย Butternut Squash Oven Roasting Techniqueย โ which is completely life changing if you ask me โย and secondly, because, well,ย this vegan cheese sauce, itโs pure bliss.ย So good, so thick, so creamy, so silky, so cheezy, sooooo yummy!
It will instantly turn any old plate of boring steamed veggies intoย a veritable party, produces a terrificย Mac & Cheeseย whenย added to cooked pasta, and can evenย be used hot or cold as a dipย for fresh veggies, crackers or chips.
I think itโs about to become your new best friend in the kitchenโฆ
Since youโre going to need someย roasted butternut squash as a baseย for your sauce, this is theย first thingย youโre going to have to tackle.ย Itโs crazy simple, though, youโll see; just check outย the detailed instructions in this post, or follow the directions in the recipe card below!
You will want toย use a medium-largish squashย for this, as you will be needing aboutย 2 cups (thatโs 400 grams) of cooked flesh; just make sure that your raw gourdย weighs at least a little moreย than that, to make up for the peel and refuse. When in doubt, use a larger squash: leftover roasted squash never goes to wasteโฆย at least not in this household it doesnโt!
Once your squash is done roasting, remove it from the oven andย allow it to coolย for a few minutes until you can safely handle it without burning your fingers.
As soon as the squash is cool enough to handle, grab a large spoonย (did I ever tell you just how much I love anย ice cream scoopย for these kinds of things?)ย toย scoop out that fleshย and measure out aboutย 2 cups of it; thatโs 400g,ย if youโre like me and prefer to weigh stuff.
Again, Iโm afraid you absolutely need aย high-powered blenderย for this recipe to really turn out great. You could probably make it in aย regular blenderย or aย food processor, but itโll never come out quite as silky and creamyโฆ
Process the ingredientsย on high speedย until super smooth and creamy, stopping once or twice toย scrape the sides, as needed.
Now add thatย oven baked butternut squash, along with the nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, turmeric, onion powder, paprika, salt and white pepper.
Process again on high, until the sauce is super smooth and silky.
Your sauce is now ready to use as you please,ย but if you prefer it to beย a tad on the warmer side, transfer it to a small saucepan andย heat it over low heatย ; be extra careful, though, asย the sauce will scorch fairly easily, so be sure to keep a close eye on it and stir often!
Now all thatโs left to do isย enjoy this delicious cheese sauceย you just created.ย Pour it liberallyย over a generous serving ofย steamed broccoli, or your own personal favorite veggies.
And like I said, this versatile cheese sauce also makesย an outstanding Mac & Cheeseย andย can even beย used as a dip,ย hot or cold,ย for fresh veggies, crackers or chips.ย Enjoy!
Vegan Cheese Sauce
Delicious poured generously over your favorite steamed veggies, this versatile Vegan Cheese Sauce is also excellent in a Mac & Cheese and can even be used hot or cold as a dip for fresh veggies, crackers or chips.
Servings:ย 8
To make the oven baked butternut squash*
- Preheat the oven to 375ยฐF
- Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the guts and seeds with a spoon; place them in a dark roasting pan and drizzle them with a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Turn the squash flesh side down and pour about 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the pan.
- Bake in the oven, uncovered, for about 40-45 minutes, until the squash becomes really soft and can easily be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
- When the squash is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes until you can safely handle it, then, with a large spoon, scoop the flesh out of the squash and measure out 2 cups (400g)
To make the cheese sauce
- Put the cashews, boiling water and garlic cloves in the container of a high-speed blender and process on high speed until super smooth and creamy, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add the oven baked butternut squash, along with the nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, turmeric, onion powder, paprika, salt and white pepper. Process on high again until the sauce is super smooth and silky.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a small saucepan and heat over low heat for a warmer sauce; be extra careful as the sauce will scorch fairly easily, so be sure to keep a close eye on it and stir often!
- Pour liberally over freshly steamed broccoli or your personal favorite veggies. This versatile cheese sauce also makes an excellent Mac & Cheese and can be used hot or cold as a dip for fresh veggies, crackers or chips.
Calories:ย 154kcal,ย Carbohydrates:ย 13g,ย Protein:ย 7g,ย Fat:ย 9g,ย Saturated Fat:ย 2g,ย Sodium:ย 194mg,ย Potassium:ย 378mg,ย Fiber:ย 3g,ย Sugar:ย 2g,ย Vitamin A:ย 3782IU,ย Vitamin C:ย 8mg,ย Calcium:ย 28mg,ย Iron:ย 2mg
If youโve tried this recipe, please take a minute toย rate the recipeย and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. Itโs always such a pleasure to hear from you!