Southern-Style Baked Mac and Greens

Name: Southern-Style Baked Mac and Greens
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 400 g wholewheat macaroni; 400 g butternut squash, peeled and diced; 1 x 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed; 500 ml unsweetened soya milk; 6 tbsp nutritional yeast; 2 tbsp white miso paste; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp cornflour; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp ground mustard; ¼ tsp cayenne pepper; ¼ tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp fine sea salt; 200 g curly kale, stems removed and shredded; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 30 g wholemeal breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, for the topping

A golden, bubbling bake with a sauce the colour of autumn — creamy, smoky and faintly sweet from butternut squash, with a deep savoury edge from nutritional yeast and miso that does everything sharp cheddar used to. Curly kale runs through every forkful, making this a proper meal rather than a side. Serve it straight from the dish at a weekend table, with a cold lager or a glass of dry cider alongside.

Allergens:Gluten (wholewheat macaroni, wholemeal breadcrumbs), Soya (soya milk, white miso paste)

Details

Author: CuisineSavvy
Cuisine: American
Course: Main
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Diet: Vegan
Tags: comfort food, baked pasta, plant-based, Southern, mac and cheese, kale, butternut squash, barbecue, weeknight, meal prep

Nutritional Values

The biggest nutritional change from the Southern baked mac and cheese this is built on is the addition of 200 g of curly kale, which turns what was a starchy side dish into a complete meal with fibre, iron and leafy greens in every forkful. The egg-and-cheddar custard base of the original — its primary source of saturated fat and sodium — is replaced entirely by butternut squash, cannellini beans and soya milk, cutting saturated fat substantially. Cannellini beans supply the protein and body that eggs provided. Sodium is kept low by design: only a quarter teaspoon of added salt is used across eight servings, because the miso and nutritional yeast already season the dish; taste the sauce before adding any more. Wholemeal macaroni and wholemeal breadcrumbs add fibre the original did not have.

Nutrient	Amount	% Daily Value
Calories	330 kcal	--
Total Fat	6 g	8%
Saturated Fat	1 g	5%
Monounsaturated Fat	2 g	--
Polyunsaturated Fat	1 g	--
Sodium	290 mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate	60 g	22%
Dietary Fiber	11 g	39%
Total Sugars	3.5 g	--
Protein	16 g	32%

Instructions

Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions — it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside. Steam the diced butternut squash for 10–12 minutes, or until completely tender. While the squash steams, whisk the cornflour into 2 tbsp of the cold soya milk in a small bowl until smooth, then set aside. Transfer the cooked squash to a blender with the cannellini beans, remaining soya milk, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, smoked paprika, ground mustard, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Blend until completely smooth. Pour the blended sauce into a medium saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the cornflour slurry, then simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce visibly thickens. Do not skip this step — an unthickened sauce will not set in the oven and the bake will be soupy. Without washing the saucepan, add the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the shredded kale and toss for 2–3 minutes until just wilted and coated in the garlicky oil. Taste and adjust seasoning — the miso and nutritional yeast carry salt, so add more only if needed. Preheat the oven to 190 °C fan (210 °C conventional / gas 6½). In a large bowl, stir together the drained pasta, wilted kale and sauce until evenly combined. Transfer to a large baking dish (approximately 30 x 20 cm). Mix the wholemeal breadcrumbs with 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and a small drizzle of olive oil. Scatter evenly over the top of the pasta. OVEN METHOD — Bake at 190 °C fan for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the breadcrumb topping is deep golden. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving — this allows the sauce to finish setting. BARBECUE METHOD — Transfer the assembled dish to a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven instead of a conventional baking dish. Set up the barbecue for indirect heat: bank the coals to one side with nothing lit directly beneath the skillet. Place the skillet on the cooler side, put the lid down and open the vents, holding a temperature of around 190 °C. Cook for 30–35 minutes, checking after 25. The bake is ready when it is bubbling at the edges and golden on top
it takes a little longer than the oven because heat is lost every time the lid is lifted — resist the urge to check too often. Rest for 5 minutes before serving. NOTE: Both methods are fully independent. If cooking indoors, follow the oven method and ignore the barbecue instructions entirely, and vice versa.

Southern-Style Baked Mac and Greens

Ingredients
[ ] 400 g wholewheat macaroni
[ ] 400 g butternut squash, peeled and diced
[ ] 1 x 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
[ ] 500 ml unsweetened soya milk
[ ] 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
[ ] 2 tbsp white miso paste
[ ] 1 tbsp lemon juice
[ ] 1 tbsp cornflour
[ ] 1 tsp smoked paprika
[ ] ½ tsp ground mustard
[ ] ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
[ ] ¼ tsp black pepper
[ ] ¼ tsp fine sea salt
[ ] 200 g curly kale, stems removed and shredded
[ ] 2 garlic cloves, crushed
[ ] 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
[ ] 30 g wholemeal breadcrumbs
[ ] 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, for the topping

Instructions
[ ] 1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions — it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
Steam the diced butternut squash for 10–12 minutes, or until completely tender.
While the squash steams, whisk the cornflour into 2 tbsp of the cold soya milk in a small bowl until smooth, then set aside.
Transfer the cooked squash to a blender with the cannellini beans, remaining soya milk, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, smoked paprika, ground mustard, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Blend until completely smooth.
Pour the blended sauce into a medium saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the cornflour slurry, then simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce visibly thickens. Do not skip this step — an unthickened sauce will not set in the oven and the bake will be soupy.
Without washing the saucepan, add the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the shredded kale and toss for 2–3 minutes until just wilted and coated in the garlicky oil. Taste and adjust seasoning — the miso and nutritional yeast carry salt, so add more only if needed.
Preheat the oven to 190 °C fan (210 °C conventional / gas 6½).
In a large bowl, stir together the drained pasta, wilted kale and sauce until evenly combined. Transfer to a large baking dish (approximately 30 x 20 cm).
Mix the wholemeal breadcrumbs with 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and a small drizzle of olive oil. Scatter evenly over the top of the pasta.
OVEN METHOD — Bake at 190 °C fan for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the breadcrumb topping is deep golden. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving — this allows the sauce to finish setting.
BARBECUE METHOD — Transfer the assembled dish to a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven instead of a conventional baking dish. Set up the barbecue for indirect heat: bank the coals to one side with nothing lit directly beneath the skillet. Place the skillet on the cooler side, put the lid down and open the vents, holding a temperature of around 190 °C. Cook for 30–35 minutes, checking after 25. The bake is ready when it is bubbling at the edges and golden on top
[ ] 2. it takes a little longer than the oven because heat is lost every time the lid is lifted — resist the urge to check too often. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
NOTE: Both methods are fully independent. If cooking indoors, follow the oven method and ignore the barbecue instructions entirely, and vice versa.

https://www.cuisinesavvy.com/recipe/southern-style-baked-mac-and-greens

External Recipes

Southern Baked Mac And Cheese 9412506 (Health Score: 35)

HealthScore: 91

Built on wholewheat pasta, cannellini beans, butternut squash, and curly kale, this bake is fibre-rich and genuinely nourishing without any dairy or cream. It is worth knowing the miso and pasta-cooking salt add up — seasoning restraint when finishing pays off.