This is one of my favourite comfort foods. The creamy, cheesy sauce is a delightful blend of cashews, potato and carrot with earthy spices and nutritional yeast for cheesiness.
It comes together quickly and easily in under 30 minutes using mostly basic pantry ingredients. It’s nothing crazy, but it tastes luxurious.
Our vegan mac and cheese is a perfect mid-week meal or side dish for a special occasion and is a favourite with vegans and omni’s alike.
How do I make a creamy vegan mac and cheese?
It’s simple – just cook your pasta to al dente. Separately, boil your veggies and cashews, retaining some of the broth. Then add in your spices, lemon juice, ACV, plant milk and nutritional yeast and blend well. Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and reheat if necessary… et voila!
Do mac and cheese leftovers keep well?
Yes, you can place in a container or cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, I find it’s best fresh. If you are expecting leftovers or are meal prepping, I would suggest keeping the sauce and the pasta separate and then reheating separately before serving. You may need to add a little water or non-dairy milk to the sauce to get it going.
Can I bake vegan mac and cheese?
Sure can! I don’t have an oven and am too impatient for this, but I have baked mac and cheese in the past and it’s yummo. Place into a baking dish, top with bread crumbs and some store bought vegan cheese and cover, baking for 20 minutes in a moderate oven. Remove the cover and cook for a further 10 minutes under the grill to get the top nice and crispy.
Let me know in the comments below if you made this. I also love to hear your ideas and substitutions. Share your creations on Instagram with #IHTBvegan @ihtbvegan
Creamy vegan mac and cheese
Ingredients
- 500 g macaroni - or pasta of choice
- 2 C potato - diced small
- 1 C carrot - diced small
- ⅔ C brown onion - diced small
- 1 C raw cashews
- 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika ground - smoked paprika is lovely too
- ½ tsp turmeric ground - optional - mostly for colour
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ C plant milk - I use soy
- ½ C nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp vegan butter - optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the macaroni until al dente (about 8 minutes), rinse in warm water, drain and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare your veggies and other ingredients.
- In the same (empty) pasta pot, bring about 1.5L water to the boil and place in the potatoes, carrots, onions, cashews and 1 teaspoon of salt. Continue to boil for 15 mins until the potatoes and carrots are soft.
- Drain the vegetables and cashews, retaining 1 cup of the broth. Place the cooked vegetables, cashews and broth into a blender (or if using a stick/immersion blender, I do mine straight in the same saucepan to reduce dishes). Add in the remaining 1 tsp of salt, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, plant milk, nutritional yeast and butter (if using). Blend on high speed until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Place the pasta and sauce back into the saucepan and mix through, reheating until it’s at your optimal serving temperature (low heat only - do not boil). To serve, sprinkle with a little smoked paprika. Delicious with hot sauce. Enjoy!
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