Baked Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese | No-Boil

GFGluten FreeNFNut FreeVVegan
4.96 from 23 votes
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This No-Boil Baked Pumpkin Mac & Cheese with Sourdough Rosemary Breadcrumbs is the perfect fall comfort food! An upgraded mac & cheese with a seasonal touch.

Table of Contents
  1. Baked Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese Recipe

The search is over – I’ve found my new favorite fall comfort food. This No-Boil Baked Pumpkin Mac & Cheese topped with Sourdough Rosemary Breadcrumbs is the creamiest pumpkin pasta dish that’s so cozy, it might as well come with a blanket. 😉

A silky-smooth pumpkin cashew cream coats every last bite of pasta while a crisp, herby sourdough breadcrumb brings the perfect crunchy finish! And best of all, this fuss-free main is a no-boil, ‘set it and forget it’ recipe. Let’s get into the yummy details…

Close-up photo of baked pumpkin mac & cheese in white casserole dish with a wooden spoons scooping the pasta

Ingredients + Inspiration

Ingredients for baked pumpkin mac and cheese in small white bowls on marble background. Clockwise text labels read nutmeg, pumpkin puree, cashews, garlic, rosemary, sourdough, olive oil, shallot, nutritional yeast, pumpkin, and pasta

This recipe is inspired by all the cozy feels that come with autumn. There’s nothing like a hearty, creamy, stick-to-your-ribs recipe to get you through the darker, rainy days, am I right?

The pumpkin cream sauce for our Baked Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese is a simple, but flavor-packed blend of cashews, pumpkin puree, olive oil, and spices. The buttery sourdough breadcrumbs on top are technically optional, but trust me when I say they take the dish to the next level! Plus, they’re infused with fragrant rosemary that packs loads of fall flavor 🙂

How to Make No-Boil Baked Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Side-by-side photos of pumpkin mac and cheese in casserole dish before baking, next to a photo of sourdough rosemary breadcrumbs in a food processor

I know how much you all love the dump-and-bake recipes on the blog, and I’ve got another favorite for you to add to this list! While this recipe takes about an hour until it’s ready to enjoy, it only needs 10 minutes of prep work—the remaining time is in the oven. All you need to do is:

  1. Blend the pumpkin “cheese” sauce until smooth & creamy.
  2. Place the diced pumpkin, pasta, and shallot in a casserole dish, pour the sauce over  then cover and bake
  3. Add the sourdough to the oven on a separate baking tray and bake until crisp & golden. In a food processor, pulse with rosemary, oil, salt, and pepper to make breadcrumbs.
  4. Spread the breadcrumbs evenly over the casserole and bake until golden and fragrant
  5. Transfer to serving dishes and enjoy
Baked Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese in white casserole dish on stone background

Enjoy this creamy, fall-inspired pumpkin mac & cheese anytime you’re craving something comforting! A cozy dish like this is perfect for lunch, dinner, or to bring along to a get-together this season 🙂 It’s great on its own, or you can pair it with more fall-flavored sides like these Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins or this Fall Vegetable Salad with Smoky Tempeh! Store in the fridge and enjoy within 5 days.

No-Boil Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese in white casserole dish, on marble counter surrounded by pumpkins and rosemary

If you’re looking for more cheese-filled comfort food, you’ll also love this Cheesy Vegan Zucchini Gratin, this Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole, and these Vegan Stuffed Shells!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

No-Boil Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese in white casserole dish, on marble counter surrounded by pumpkins and rosemary

Baked Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

4.96 from 23 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4
This No-Boil Baked Pumpkin Mac & Cheese with Sourdough Rosemary Breadcrumbs is the perfect fall comfort food! An upgraded mac & cheese with a seasonal touch!

Ingredients
 
 

For the Pumpkin Cream Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup cashews, soaked in water overnight*
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 4 1/4 cups water

For the Pasta:

  • 12 ounces pasta, gluten-free if necessary*
  • 1 shallot finely diced
  • 2 cups diced pumpkin; see notes for substitutions

For the Breadcrumbs:

  • 3.5 ounces sourdough bread
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary roughly chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Prep: preheat the oven to 425F and set a 9×13″ casserole pan aside.
  • Blend: add the soaked and drained cashews, pumpkin puree, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt, and water to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 45-60 seconds, until the cashews completely dissolve and you are left with a smooth and creamy sauce.
  • Mix: add the pasta, pumpkin, and shallot to the casserole dish and mix until evenly distributed. Pour the sauce over the casserole, then use a spatula or spoon to press everything down evenly into the sauce, especially the pasta noodles.
  • Bake: Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil (or parchment paper, followed by aluminum foil) and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes.
  • Breadcrumbs: place the sourdough on separate baking tray and bake alongside the casserole for 10-20 minutes, until dry and golden; bake time will depend on the size of your bread. Roughly break up the bread with your hands, then transfer it to a food processor along with the chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. Pulse until a fine but crumbly texture forms. Drizzle the oil over the breadcrumbs, then pulse again until evenly distributed. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a small bowl and set aside.
  • Make it Crispy: after 45 minutes, remove the casserole dish from the oven and stir well to evenly distribute the sauce. Cover the pasta evenly with breadcrumbs, then return to the oven and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes. (See notes for cooking time without breadcrumbs)
  • Serve + Store: serve warm; leftovers can be stored in the fridge and are best eaten within 5 days

Recipe Notes

  • Cashews: If you forget to soak your cashews ahead of time, you can (1) cover them in boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes, or (2) cover them with water and microwave for 3 minutes, then let sit for 3-5 minutes before draining.
  • Pasta: I recommend using short pasta shapes (as opposed to noodles) for this recipe. If you are using gluten-free pasta, corn & rice varieties tend to hold up better without breaking.
  • Pumpkin: cubed pumpkin can be replaced with peeled sweet potato, butternut squash, or kabocha squash.
  • No Breadcrumbs: bake the casserole for 45 min only, but let sit 5 minutes covered before mixing and serving
  • Oil-Free: you can omit the oil from the sauce if you’d like, but it will not be as smooth. Same with the breadcrumbs; they will not get as golden, but will still be tasty!

Nutrition

Calories: 609kcalCarbohydrates: 99gProtein: 17gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 1146mgPotassium: 772mgFiber: 7gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 15396IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 4mg
Keyword: baked mac and cheese, dairy free pumpkin mac and cheese, healthy pumpkin mac and cheese, pumpkin mac and cheese
Course: Main
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan

About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

Learn More

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and it came out amazing! I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin. I will definitely make this again. Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    Delicious and comforting on a cold and rainy day. I used butternut squash, gluten free brown rice macaroni and added a can of cannelini beans.

  3. 5 stars
    This is excellent! Thank you for publishing it it. I made it with GF rice-lentil pasta, used a can of pumpkin and adjusted the water and it was yummy.

    1. There is no true substitute for nutritional yeast, though you could try using some shredded plant-based cheese instead. Let me know if you try this!

  4. Hi Caitlin! I love your recipes, but I’m allergic to nuts. Any other way I can make a creamy sauce without cashews? Thank you so much!

    1. Raw sunflower seeds can be substituted for cashews in a 1:1 replacement. You will need to soak your sunflower seeds similarly to your cashews. This works very well in savory recipes like sauces and dips.

  5. I don’t have a food processor, how else can I make the breadcrumbs or what substitutions can I make? I’m dying to try this. Ty!

  6. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing. Definitely getting added to the rotation! I used butternut squash purée and cubed butternut squash, some of the cubes aren’t quite soft enough for my liking but I don’t think I cubed them small enough so I know next time they’ll be perfect. I used Ronzoni gf rotini pasta and it held up well. I also used Ian’s gf panko for the breadcrumbs and only used half of the breadcrumb recipe to top. 9/10! (Will be 10/10 next time with smaller cubes 🙂 )

  7. 5 stars
    I was skeptical that this could turn out so good, but I don’t mind being wrong! This recipe is phenomenal – my partner and I loved it! Bonus points for it being easy to make but yielding such a surprisingly creamy and flavorful dish! We ended up eating this over a few days as leftovers and still enjoyed it every time. The only substitution we made was replacing the cubed pumpkin with sweet potato since it’s easier and more affordable.

  8. 5 stars
    So easy to make, super yummy, and perfect for meal prep! Made it at the start of the week and my partner and I didn’t get tired of it even though we ate it multiple days in a row, which made it a total success!