Creamy Mac & Cheese Two Ways
Creamy Mac & Cheese Two Ways
Mac and Cheese is probably one of the most loved dishes from our childhood. I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Veganuary to create two extremely creamy, delicious and easy to make recipes. One uses a whole food approach relying on cashews for their creaminess and nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor and the other makes use of Vegan / Plant Based cheeses that are readily available at most markets. There is also an option for baking each with a breadcrumb topping. Check out the video here to see how they’re made.
Serves
Mac & Cheese #1
Ingredients
16 oz (454g) Macaroni or other short pasta
1/2 cup (70g) Raw Cashews soaked
1/3 cup (25g) Nutritional Yeast
1 small (60g) Carrot peeled
1 small (125g) Potato peeled
1 cup (236ml) Plant Milk
2 tsp (10g) Miso Paste
2 tsp (10g) Mustard
1 tsp (5g) Garlic Powder
1 tsp (5g) Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mac & Cheese #2
Ingredients
16 oz (454g) Macaroni or other short pasta
3Tbsp (45g) Vegan Butter
3Tbsp (45g) Flour
2 cups (473ml) Plant Milk
8oz (227g) Vegan Cheddar Cheese
2 tsp (10g) Mustard
1 tsp (5g) Garlic Powder
1 tsp (5g) Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
Breadcrumb Topping for Baking
3/4 cup (90g) Breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp (30g) Vegan Butter melted
1 tsp (5g) Onion Salt
Mac & Cheese #1
Directions
1.Add the cashews to a bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow them to soak for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain and set aside.
2. While the cashews are soaking, boil the carrot and potato until fork tender. Remove from the pot and add them to a high speed blender along with the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, plant milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, miso paste and mustard. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Add additional plant milk if needed to thin the cheese sauce.
3. Add the cheese sauce to freshly cooked pasta and mix well. Enjoy as is or add it to a lightly greased baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and broil at 375 for 5 minutes to brown the top.
Mac & Cheees #2
Directions
1.Melt the butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add in the flour and mix well. Cook the mixture (known as a roux) for a minute or two to cook out the raw flour taste.
2. Add in the plant milk and whisk together. Allow the mixture to come to a slow simmer before adding in the vegan cheese. Mix until the cheese has melted completely and you have a smooth cheese sauce.
3. Add in the mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper. Cook for another minute or two or until completely heated through. Add in your cooked pasta and mix well.Enjoy as is or add it to a lightly greased baking dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake at 350 for 30 minutes then broil at 375 for 5 minutes to brown the top.
