This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Pasta is drenched in silky butternut sauce spiked with spicy cayenne pepper to make this rich and creamy vegan Buffalo butternut mac and cheese that’s (preferably) served with smoky baked tofu bacon.
Ah yes. Welcome, football (food) season. Emphasis on food. I’ll be honest and say I’m really just into this football thing for the food. I mean, football is fine and all. Of course, I hope that my home team, the Phillies, will score a few goals this year, and maybe even win the annual football championship, but if you invite me to a football watching party, my attention will be on the food. Be forewarned and don’t get mad at me!
And let’s face it, meatless football food is bomb. See, traditional football food has a rep for being a bit…junky. Which, okay, junky can be delicious, buuuuuuut, there’s a really special satisfaction that comes with eating a plant-based version of your favorite junk food, because it’s usually not quite so junky.
So what’s all this mean? Football happens on Monday night (I guess I do know something about football), so it conveniently coincides with Meatless Monday, meaning it’s the perfect opportunity to sideline meat and enjoy veggie versions of your favorite tailgating treats. You’ve going to love this.
Take this Buffalo butternut mac and cheese for starters. I mean, holy cow! But hold the cow, because this is dairy-free. I went with unflavored and unsweetened Silk Soymilk for the sauce and it worked out fantastic…nice and creamy with a neutral flavor to let the butternut sweetness shine through.
For a quick and easy meal, feel free to make and serve your butternut Buffalo mac on it’s own. I really like how the smoky tofu bacon goes with the sauce, and it somehow makes things feel extra footballey, so I went with it.
You can find more #MeatlessMondayNight football watching yummies and enter for a chance to win a giveaway here.
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Buffalo Butternut Mac with (or without) Tofu Bacon
Ingredients
For the Tofu Bacon
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. liquid smoke
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. extra firm tofu drained, pressed for at least 30 minutes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
For the Buffalo Butternut Mac
- 10 oz. macaroni pasta
- 1 lb. butternut squash cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 medium onion cut into 8-10 large chunks
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- about 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened Silk Soymilk
- about 1/4 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2-3 scallions chopped, for serving
Instructions
Make the Tofu Bacon
- In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, cider vinegar, maple syrup, liquid smoke and olive oil. Add tofu cubes and stir a few times to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange tofu cubes in an even layer on parchment-lined baking sheet, reserving any excess marinade.
- Bake 20 minutes. Flip and brush with reserved marinade. Bake 20 minutes more.
Make the Buffalo Butternut Mac
- While the tofu bakes, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions just until al dente. Drain into a colander and return to pot. Toss with just a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- While the pasta cooks and the tofu bakes, toss butternut squash, onion and olive oil and place into a roasting pan or arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in 400° oven until butternut squash is tender and onion is lightly browned, about 25 minutes, flipping once about halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Place onion and butternut squash into food processor bowl. Add garlic and 1/2 cup of Silk Soymilk. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- Add cayenne pepper hot sauce to taste, nutritional yeast and salt. Blend again until smooth and creamy. Pour over pasta and place over medium heat. Cook just until heated throughout, stirring frequently and thinning with about 1/2 cup of additional Silk Soymilk, or as needed.
Serve
- Divide butternut Buffalo mac among bowls. Top with additional hot sauce, tofu bacon and scallions.
Recipe Notes
Use a cayenne pepper sauce that's not too hot, as you'll want to use a LOT of it in order to get a nice Buffalo flavor going on.
If you have leftovers, add a few splashes of Silk Soymilk when reheating, to restore the sauce to it's original creaminess.
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
I have a butternut squash that I aimlessly picked up yesterday, then this pops into my newsfeed. I mean, that must be destiny. It
Tofu bacon? Yes please! And sign me up for mac and anything. Couldn’t care less about football, but I’m with you on the food!
This sounds delicious, thanks for sharing.
Simon
Made this for dinner last night and loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m going to have to learn how to cut these recipes down. I live alone and REALLY don’t need 4 servings. My freezer is currently so full I can’t get anything else in!
I’ve been there! If you click on the number of servings in any of my recipes a little slider will pop up. Slide it to scale the batch size up or down. I hope that helps! :)