'Cheezy' Mac n Cheese (Vegan)

Nov 2, 2017
4 min read

'Cheezy' Mac n Cheese... Need I say more? Hands down the number one comfort food in this household. My kids can live off of this if I allowed them, I swear to you. Can you imagine the anxiety I had trying to develop this recipe knowing full well how sophisticated of a food radar they have for the slightest modification in recipes?... Particularly with my 6 year old Michael, he can detect the slightest changes in foods if I were to modify ingredients and has no problem turning his nose up to anything he doesn't think is tasty. Kids, you have to love that they have no filter whatsoever. Needless to say this is a recipe I knew I had to perfect before ever letting him try it because if I failed, there was no coming back for round two...

Given that this is a staple dish in our household, of course one of the first recipes I developed was vegan mac n cheese. I have to admit my own self-interest here though. I loveeeee mac n cheese, and I've always felt guilty after eating a heavy albeit delicious bowl of mac n cheese. This vegan twist on mac and cheese takes out much of the fat that actually comes from the dairy products and is replaced with hearty root vegetables instead in the sauce. So now our homemade mac n cheese is filled with nutritious ingredients that's super healthy and deliciousssss! 'Cheezy' and comforting without the all that guilt! Served as a main or side dish, you can never go wrong with mac n cheese on the table.

To ensure the mac n cheese comes out perfect, here are a couple of tips. First and foremost, always, always, always salt your pot of boiling water that you're going to be cooking the pasta in. Salt it like the sea... This is the first "must do" in order to make sure you layer flavor into the dish throughout for the perfect finish in the end. Second tip, be sure to soak your cashews for at least 4-6 hours so that it breaks down easily in the blending process. Last but not least, be sure to use a high speed blender so that your sauce comes out smooth and creamy.

So now...drum roll for the highly anticipated outcome when my ultimate cheese lover Michael (and Milan, 3) tried it. They both said nothing at first because they were too busy inhaling their mac n cheese. But within a couple of seconds of trying, both simply looked up at me and showed me their thumbs up! SCORE!!! You have no idea how happy I was in this moment... Thrilled that they loved this healthy mac n cheese recipe and laughing on the inside because they both had no idea that there was no actual cheese or butter in the recipe! Nothing but veggies in that 'cheezy' sauce, haha! You've got to try this 'cheezy' recipe because once you try it, you will never go back. Guaranteed!

Your Turn!

What are your favorite comfort foods? Hands down for me it would have to be any sort of pasta dish. Pasta and a tomato based sauce would definitely be my go-to for sure. I would also have to say soups would be my second, particularly Vietnamese soups such as pho or Thai such as Tom Yum.

Let me know your top comfort foods in the comment section below! I'd love to see if I can help veganize these dishes for you if you haven't done so already. Also, let me know how your 'cheezy' mac n cheese turns out after trying this recipe in the comment box below. I'd love to hear from you!

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'CHEEZY' MAC N CHEESE

Ingredients

time 25 m servs 4-5

1 1/4 cup onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1 1/2 cup potatoes, quartered

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4-6 hours or overnight, then drained

2 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

1 pinch paprika

1 pinch nutmeg

1 tablespoon vegan parmesan cheese (garnish)

1 teaspoon parsley, chopped (garnish)

3/4 pound dry pasta

Directions

prep 15 m cook 10m ready in 25 m

1. Cook your choice of pasta al dente, according to package instructions (usually requires boiling for 6-8 minutes in salted water for macaroni), drain, and set aside. In another medium sized pot, bring several cups of water to boil. Place chopped potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion in the boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soft enough to blend.

2. When veggies are soft enough to blend, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the cooking water and place them in your high speed blender. Add about ¾ cup of the vegetable cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour sauce over your cooked macaroni noodles in a dish of your choice, taste for salt, and serve immediately.

3. if you'd like a crispy topping, just place macaroni mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle with (panko) breadcrumbs and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, or until crumbs turn golden brown.

Products used in this recipe you can conveniently purchase: