You’ve probably seen many Instragram stories showing my daughter eating her favourite meal: “cheezy noodles”. I’ve had countless requests for the recipe, so I apologize for taking so long to share this with you!

This recipe is my healthified, dairy-free take on Kraft Dinner using sweet potato or squash, cashews (or other nuts or seeds) and turmeric to create a noodle dish that looks and tastes cheesy, without cheese. I hope you enjoy it!

Cheezy Noodles

Yields 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups sweet potato or squash, cubed
1 onion diced
2 whole cloves of garlic, optional
1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ cups of water
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
Lemon juice
400 - 500 g of you favourite spiral noodles
Optional: 1 cup of frozen or fresh peas

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Add the sweet potato, onion and garlic (if using) to the baking tray and drizzle over a little bit of olive oil and add a few pinches of salt. Use your hands to stir the veggies around a bit to cover them with the oil and salt. Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are easily pieced by a fork and the onions are soft.

While the veggies are in the oven cover, the cashews in boiling water to soften them.

Cook the noodles according to package directions and, if you’d like, add frozen peas when you have about 3 mins cooking time left for the noodles. Drain and rinse the noodles (and peas, if using) and return them to the pot.

Once the veggies are cooked, drain and rinse the cashews. Then add the cashews and roasted veggies to a blender or food processor. Add the water, spices, salt and pepper, a little squeeze of lemon juice (I use about half a lemon), and process until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. If you find the sauce is too thick add more water 1/4 cup at a time. You might have to scrape down the sides a bit along the way. If you have a small blender (like a Magic Bullet) you may need to do a few batches.

Add the sauce to your cooked noodles and mix well! Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm and enjoy. I like to add hot sauce or chili flakes. You could also stir frozen or fresh spinach into the noodles when they’re hot for some extra greens!

Store in an airtight container for up to five days. You can also freeze the sauce for several months.

To make school safe: use hemp hearts (no need to soak) or sunflower seeds (soaked like the cashews) in equal quantities.

If you enjoyed the recipe I shared above be sure to check out my Plant-Based Breakthrough program, which is a crash course in plant-based health, nutrition, and meal planning. For details about the program click here. You can also join the Plant-Based Breakthrough Community on Facebook where I share recipes, inspiration, and information on plant-based nutrition.