Autumn calls for comfort food, don’t ya think?
I recently made this vegan mac n’cheese for a giveaway with Spudsy Foods (I mentioned them in my September favorites!) and knew I had to share the full recipe on here with you guys. It’s quite possibly the easiest sauce to make – it comes together in a blender with minimal chopping – and is fantastic with any kind of pasta, although I rarely eat anything other than Banza’s chickpea pasta these days!
The “cheese” part of the sauce comes from Nutritional Yeast, which is basically a vegan supplement for Vitamin B12 and protein that happens to have a delicious cheesy flavor to it. The creaminess of the sauce comes from the soaked cashews and veggie broth, and then there’s some garlic and paprika in there too, for extra flavor! I topped this dish with Spudsy’s BBQ Sweet Potato Puffs, but you could easily just use regular bread crumbs or panko flakes!
And one last thing I’ll say: this dish even passed the bf test, which for me is a HUGE win since mine doesn’t particularly love the idea of “healthy” versions of things?
The Ultimate Vegan Mac N’Cheese
your favorite pasta, cooked according to the directions
1/2 cup cashews soaked in water for at least 3 hours (or overnight)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp paprika
3-4 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup crumbled Spudsy Sweet Potato Puffs (or breadcrumbs)
1. Cook pasta according to directions and while boiling, make the cashew cheese sauce below.
2. In a blender, add the soaked cashews (drained), broth, milk, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. *If you need to add a little bit of liquid, add either more broth or water tbsp by tbsp – a little goes a long way!
3. Add the sauce to the drained pasta and keep over low to medium heat to warm the sauce.
4. Spoon the mac n’cheese into bowls or ramekins and top with the breadcrumbs or crumbled Spudsy puffs. Enjoy right away or bake in the oven at 300 degrees fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes.
*Store leftover cashew cheese sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days*
Well, that’s it for today!! Have you guys ever made vegan versions of your favorite foods? I’m not vegan, as you know, but I love this idea of re-vamping some of my meals to be more plant-based!
xo Jordan