Gluten Free Gourmet Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't love a good mac and cheese? This is a great Friday date night food to eat while watching movies and hanging out.  It's delicious and unlike your usual run of the mill mac and cheese, this one is actually good for you.

serves 4

What you need

for the pasta

3 cups of gluten free macaroni 

400 g of pumpkin, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove

3/4 cup of water (use liquid from pot of boiled veggies)

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 5 hours

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

 Pinch paprika

Sea salt and pepper to taste

for the crunchy cheese topping

1/2 cup of almonds

1/3 cup of buckinis

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup of fresh parsley

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What to do

For the crunchy cheese topping

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse a few times to combine. Set aside.

for the pasta

Cook the pasta according to the directions. Set aside.

for the sauce

Bring 1 litre of water to boil in a pot. Place chopped pumpkin, carrots, and garlic in the boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soft enough to blend. 

When veggies are soft, use a slotted spoon to remove them from cooking water, and place them in your blender. Add the water to your blender, along with the remaining ingredients.

Blend until smooth.

Pour sauce over your cooked macaroni in a medium sized baking dish, sprinkle with crunchy cheese topping, and bake at 180C for 15 minutes, or until crumbs are turning golden brown.

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