This recipe has a special place in my heart. Mostly because I have probably gained 10 pounds in the past few months almost solely out of trying to make the perfect vegan mac and cheese. I tried this probably about 8 different ways and kept having issues with the pasta being too dry or not cheesy seeming enough. Now, after all the trials and tribulations I finally bring you the ultimate in vegan comfort food, the perfect “I can’t believe it’s Vegan Mac and Cheese”.
Excuse my language but this dish is so F-ing good! It’s a combination of a few different ways I had tried to make cheese sauce in the past. While soaked cashews alone can sometimes end up having a grainy texture and have a tendency to get too thick, adding in the cauliflower here adds this creaminess that I haven’t been able to get in the past.
In addition to this, I truly believe I have found the perfect combination of spices and ingredients here. The sauce is cheesy and smoky and a little bit spicy. The apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard add a great tangy flavor and using almond milk to thin it instead of just water adds a richness to the sauce that I was missing in a lot of my trial runs.
Finally, reserving some of the pasta sauce for the end is a tip I’ve used in other pasta dishes that really adds moisture without just watering the dish down. It works absolutely perfect on this mac and cheese!
This dish is going to be my go to comfort food forever now! The best part, other than it being pasta is it virtually guilt free and loaded with plant based goodness! Cuddle up next to a loved one and Enjoy a big bowl … or two! If you like this recipe comment, share on social and let us know! Also don’t forget to please subscribe to Almost Like Mom’s for recipes straight to your inbox.
Until Next Time,
Jackie
I can’t believe it’s Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, Pasta
- Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian
Description
This Vegan Mac and Cheese is the perfect comfort food! It’s rich, creamy, flavorful and loaded with plant based protein!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 box medium shells
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours*
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbs Dijon mustard
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast*
- 1 tbs Red Hot (or hot sauce of your choice)
- 6 pickled jalapenos
- 1 tbs brine from pickled jalapenos
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbs olive oil (for the pan)
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- pinches of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bring 2 large pots of water to a boil. Place the cauliflower flourets into the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes or until they’re soft. In the other pot cook the pasta until al dente. It should still be a little bit firm. When the pasta is done, reserve 1/2 a cup of the water and set aside, drain the pasta and place it into a large 9×12 casserole dish.
- While the pasta and cauliflower are cooking, sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Drain the cauliflower and place half of the flourets into a food processor or blender. Add in the soaked cashews, lemon juice, pickled jalapenos, brine, almond milk, sauteed onions and garlic, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to. If you like it cheesier, add more nutritional yeast, if you want it spicier add more cayenne, if it is too thick add extra almond milk.
- Drizzle olive oil over the cooked pasta and toss it together. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and add in the leftover cauliflower, stir gently until fully incorporated. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs as well as dried parsley and red pepper flakes onto the top of the pasta.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the top starts to brown. You may need to throw it in the broiler for about 2 minutes. When you pull the pasta out stir in the reserved pasta water. This will help moisten the noodles and thin out the sauce perfectly. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you don’t have time to soak the cashews, you can speed soak them by pouring boiling water onto them and letting it sit for at least 15 minutes.
*Nutritional yeast is key for making vegan cooking taste cheesy. It’s also really healthy and loaded with vitamins so it’s worth the purchase. But, if you’re not vegan you can use Parmesan cheese in place of it.
