Sometimes you just want comfort food, right? Something to make you feel comforted and warm like a hug in a bowl.
If you’re in need of a little TLC (or even if you’re not), you can’t go wrong with knocking up a big pot of our creamiest ever Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe that’s guaranteed to really hit the spot.
Is Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese healthy?
Most mac ‘n’ cheese dishes are not necessarily healthy, especially non-plant based versions, but ours very much IS. Why? Because it’s completely OIL FREE and 100% whole foods plant based compliant.
Even though this vegan mac ‘n’ cheese recipe is highly cheesy and very creamy, it is still healthy and guilt-free. The fats in this dish come from cashew nuts, and not cheese, which works just as well as any dairy-based recipe.
How To Make Vegan Mac’ n’ Cheese Healthy
To keep this scrumptious dish as healthy as possible, we have used all whole foods plant based ingredients with no junk whatsoever.
The cheese sauce is made by soaking cashew nuts for a couple of hours, then blitzing with fresh garlic and nutritional yeast.
The resulting cashew, garlic, and nutritional yeast sauce is then stirred into cooked, wholegrain pasta and there you have it. A delicious, creamy pasta that is highly filling and will keep you satisfied for hours.
Nutritional yeast is a vegan food product that helps to make dishes of all varieties taste cheesy without the use of dairy cheese. ‘Nooch’ is a term ‘nutritional yeast’ is often referred to in the vegan community, and it is used in many plant based dishes. It’s not used just for its unique cheesy flavour, but also for the fact that it is very high in protein and B vitamins (specifically B12) – which vegan and plant based eaters may need to substitute their diet with.
Which Pasta Should I Use For Mac ‘n’ Cheese?
The pasta you use for your vegan mac ‘n’ cheese recipe is entirely up to you. You can use the traditional macaroni pasta, OR to keep the dish as healthy as possible we recommend you use either a wholegrain or a legume-tryp pasta.
The shape of the pasta does not really matter, nor does it make a huge amount of difference to this dish. It’s really about personal preference. Having said that, tubular pastas can sometimes be preferable with sauces as the sauce makes its way into the crevices of the pasta more adequately.
The best pastas for this dish include:-
- Wholegrain wheat
- Pea
- Chickpea
- Red lentil
- Yellow pea
- Corn
- Buckwheat
Be aware that you will need to cook your pasta before adding to your sauce, so take care not to over-cook or it will smash up easily as you stir. You will need to fold as gently as possible to keep your pasta from breaking up, especially if you are using non-gluten pastas as they are more delicate.
The best pastas for this dish will be the more robust type such as wholegrain wheat, corn, or pea pasta. These three specifically hold up well in this dish with its very thick and daunting sauce.
Creamiest EVER Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese Recipe (Deliciously Cheesy)
Equipment
- High speed blender
- Large saucepan
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 300 g gluten free Penne pasta such as chickpea Brown rice or corn (corn seems to hold together better). We use the Penne type pasta because the sauce gets into the tubes, but you can use your favourite type of pasta too.
- 200 g raw, unsalted cashew nuts
- 300 ml unsweetened plant milk Organic soy milk is good as it doesn't taste naturally sweet like some of the others. Soy is also highest in protein.
- 4 heaped Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed For extra flavour you can roast your garlic first if you have time.
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Fresh chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- You will need to pre-soak your cashew nuts for at least 2 hours before you make this recipe, but overnight works too. Soak in filtered water for best results as tap water can be full of chemicals that will affect the flavour of your finished result.
- Put your pasta on to cook as per packet instructions
- Meanwhile, start prepping your cheese sauce by simply blending up all your ingredients (except pasta, of course) in your high speed blender. It will help to use only half the fluids first, then add the rest after you have a blend going. You will need to be thoroughly sure that you blend for long enough to get that sauce super creamy. You will also need to make sure that you can get a proper spin going in your blender if you want the sauce to get creamy enough. Don't let your blender spin when the contents aren't moving as this will burn the motor out. You have to be sure to add enough fluids for this not to happen.Depending on how long you soaked your cashew nuts for, and how much water they have taken on, you may possibly need to add more fluids. You want your sauce to be pretty thick, but not too thick. A medium thickness works well.
- Now pour your sauce from your blender and gently heat in a medium-sized saucepan on a medium heat, stirring continually until hot. Do not stop stirring as this sauce will start to stick to the bottom of your pan almost instantly. Again, check thickness, add more fluids if needed (they shouldn't be). Now add your pre-cooked pasta and stir through very gently until thoroughly combined. Don't over mix because the gluten free pasta can break up easily.Serve topped with more nutritional yeast (or homemade parmesan) and fresh, chopped parsley.
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Thanks for visiting ZestForever today!
We hope you enjoyed our dairy free Mac ‘n’ Cheese as much as we do. It’s a real treat to be able to eat such delicious foods guilt-free (though this dish is high calories, so be mindful of that).
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Why not serve this creamy pasta dish with our delicious slow cooked baked beans?
Let’s spread the plant based word and bring about a plant based REVOLUTION!
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