Pumpkin season is here in full force friends! And while pumpkin pie and pumpkin muffins are undeniably delicious, this year I wanted to get a bit more creative…
In this healthier take on cheese sauce, pumpkin stands in for the heavy cream, cutting way back on the calories and fat (while significantly contributing to your Vitamin A needs!). Nutrition yeast also takes the place of generally very nutritious, but notably calorie dense, cheese – and along with fantastic flavour, it packs a serious vitamin B12 and fibre punch that cheese just doesn’t have.
This B vitamin (among many other functions it has in the body) helps our body convert the calories we consume into usable energy, and plays an important role in our body’s metabolism. And I’m crazy about the versatility of this ingredient – sprinkle it on popcorn, pastas, egg-based dishes, or salads or mix it into dips, pestos, or dressings to add flavour and boost nutrition. Yum!
But back to this recipe, here’s some highlights to look forward to:
- This recipe contains many ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen and the extra ingredients that you may need to purchase are typically easy to find and inexpensive (Note: nutritional yeast can generally be found in the spice section of the grocery store).
- Very little hands-on time is required in preparing this recipe and this soup is ready to serve in ~30 minutes.
- Because this recipe can be prepped in the same bowl as it’s being served from, there is extremely minimal clean up required to facilitate effortless prep.
- Leftover sauce keeps its texture and consistency well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days – the lower, back portion of the refrigerator is ideal for storage as this is likely the coolest area.
- This versatile sauce is also a great back-up meal addition to have on hand in the freezer – where it will happily live for several months if needed!
While delicious enjoyed with the pasta of your choice for that classic mac n’ cheese dish, I love this sauce on steamed veggies (like broccoli!) or as a cheese dressing on green salads and stirfries.
Macros per 1/4 Cup Sauce
Calories: 58
Protein: 4 g
Fat: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 5 g
Sugar: 1 g
Fibre: 3 g
Pumpkin Mac n’ No-Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 398 mL can pure pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened nut milk
- 1 cup flaked nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a complete boil.
- Lower the heat, and stir until all ingredients fully dissolved and combined (~10 minutes).
- Turn off heat and remove from element to allow sauce to thicken for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Notes
