Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheeze

4 small servings or 2 large

½ lb WW Penne

Salt & Pepper

1 T Olive oil

1 T Margarine (I prefer Earth Balance)

1 small Onion, diced

1 t Dried Thyme

3 T AP Flour

1 C Vegan “chicken” broth (I used Imagine No Chicken Broth)

1 small Pie Pumpkin, roasted* or 1 can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)

½ C Unflavored Soy Milk (or non-dairy milk)

½ C Vegan Cheese Spread (I used Wayfare cheese spread however you can use any  vegan cheese spread you like or vegan cream cheese would work great as well)

1/4 C Nutritional Yeast

¼ t ground nutmeg

Topping:

1/3 C WW Bread Crumbs

1/3 C French Fried Onions (I like the Trade Joe’s Brand)

Mix together.

*For the pumpkin: Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds.  Lay cut side down on a baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 35-40 min, until the pumpkin can easily be scooped out of it’s skin.  Scoop the pumpkin out and set aside.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Heat a pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Salt the water and add the pasta, cook until al dente (will cook a bit more in the oven).
3. While pasta is cooking, heat a medium heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add the oil and margarine.
4. Add the thyme and onion to the melted margarine/oil and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Whisk in the stock.
7. Stir in the squash and soy milk and bring to a simmer.
8. Stir in the cheese spread, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
9. Once everything is well combined stir in the drained pasta.
10. Transfer the mac and cheeze mixture into a baking dish and top with the bread crumb mixture.
11. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 min, until browned and bubbly.
12. Remove from oven and let sit for 5minutes before serving.