The idea of vegan mac & cheese used to make me very nervous.
Like ice cream, mac & cheese was one of those dishes that had to be very similar for me to continue this lifestyle.
That's real.
I've tried a lot of vegan mac & cheese recipes and this one is pretty damn good. It's adapted from the Veg News recipe but it requires less ingredients (but doesn't sacrifice taste or texture).
It's creamy (thanks to the cashews & potatoes), delicious and has all accessible ingredients.
My fam always get excited when they know mac & cheese is for dinner.
Quick tips:
- If you're short on time, parboil your cashews instead of soaking them.
- Don't use russet potatoes in this recipe-it will make the sauce too thick and texture kind of weird
- If your blender doesn't have a vent on top, wait until the potato mixture cools before blending or use a towel on top to avoid splatter from the hot liquid
- If you're looking for vegan cheese...Field Roast, Follow Your Heart & Daiya are a few brands out there. You can truly get away with not using it at all though. :-)
Vegan Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 2 cups of yellow potatoes, peeled
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup raw cashews (soak for 2 hours in water of parboil them)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup vegan cheese (optional)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook elbow macaroni according to the directions on the label.
Drain and rinse the macaroni in cold water and place to the side.
In a saucepan, cook potatoes, onion, carrots & vegetable broth on med-hi heat until the potatoes are tender.
Pre-heat oven at 400º
Transfer the potato mixture to a blender and add in cashews, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper & paprika.
Blend until smooth.
In a large bowl, mix together the macaroni, sauce and half of the vegan cheese until evenly coated.
Place the macaroni mixture in a 8x12 casserole dish.
Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 25 minutes.
Enjoy!
