Creamy S'Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Monday, June 23, 2014 Alanna Figueira 6 Comments

So, I have a 3 year old, and all of a sudden he has to dress himself like a hobo, has a HUGE opinion and demands crap he sees people eating like cereal, and of late, Mac'n cheese.  It was so much easier when he couldn't talk!  JK. I am definitely not as strict with my kids eating as I am with myself, but I'm not making him Kraft Mac'n cheese.  I keep him dairy free, because he reacts to dairy and gluten free almost always.  On occasion, I'll make him rice or quinoa noodles.  He is all of a sudden not down with the spaghetti squash noodles, he somehow knows they are not noodles at all. Boo.  But this sauce, this sauce he will eat.  It's really creamy and actually looks like a Mac'n cheese sauce.  He even dipped his broccoli in it.  This is not velveeta or Kraft people, but it is good and if you are used to a paleo or whole30 lifestyle, it's the closest thing to Mac'n cheese!  It's great over a baked sweet potato, over veggies or grilled chicken or um, hello Cheese Dog!  The nutritional yeast really cheeses it up, but it's not necessary. Whole30 friends- please note that while all ingredients listed are compliant, using nutritional yeast to make cheese sauce is discouraged, and seen as missing the point of the program.  You can skip the nutritional yeast in this recipe.  Using mayo to make a cream sauce is ok.  

The sauce is really easy to make.  The sweet potato makes it that Mac'n cheese cheesy yellow color.  You can use leftover sweet potatoes or even mashed sweet potatoes.  Butternut squash also works well.  I just peeled and chopped a potato and steamed it.  See here for how to roast a spaghetti squash. 

The exact texture and color may vary based on how much sweet potato and the color of the sweet potato.  A white sweet potato will make a very light colored sauce and a very orange one will make it look like Kraft!  A starchier yam will make the texture thicker and less smooth and creamy.  I have found a regular orange sweet potato is best for this sauce.  If your emulsion fails, this will not be a thick sauce like it is intended.  Check out my videos under #plgmayo on Instagram for really easy instructions how to emulsify mayo. Sometimes mayo comes out thicker than other times, so if your sauce comes out too thick, add coconut milk to thin 1 tbsp at a time. 

2/3 cup avocado oil or light olive oil
1 pastured egg
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup orange sweet potato, peeled and cooked
1/4 cup full fat unsweetened coconut milk 
3 cups Spaghetti Squash, cooked
3 cups Broccoli Florets, cooked





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  1. This looks delish and I have pinned this away! You're a genius!

  2. My son LOVES mac n cheese. He is SO picky it's almost all he will eat. A couple months ago I started to sneak butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots in it. I want you to know he is sitting here eating your sauce! I made it with butternut squash instead of sweet potato because I needed to use it up, but I'm so thrilled he is eating it!! Thank you so much for all your great recipes! I'm one of our biggest fans ;)

  3. I made this tonight with diced prosciutto & broccoli slaw! It was delicious, we'll be making this again & again!

  4. Is nutritional yeast the same as active dry yeast?

  5. Do you heat this up to put over spaghetti squash and broccoli? If so how, I've never heated up mayo so I'm hesitant...
