Best Ever Vegan Mac and Cheese

Here we go again. Another plant-based recipe for you. I haven’t made creamy Mac n Cheese in years. This one is obviously not your traditional style, but I am quite amazed at how delicious this non-dairy sauce is.

To be honest, I may never make “real” Mac n Cheese again. This sauce is quite a bit thicker than this one but just as tasty. To be honest, I am not sure which one I like better! They are both high in protein and use one of my favorite ingredients, Nutritional Yeast.

Keep blending until creamy!

And in case you are wondering, I am not completely vegan but I recently signed up for a 10 day plant-based food challenge. The main focus was to have at least one meal a day that was totally plant-based.

OK, I admit, that’s the easy part for me since I eat plant-based meals a few times a week a couple of times a day. The hard part I think is finding recipes that my husband will enjoy too. This was the first of many recipes and fortunately, so far so GOOD.

In fact, this is so good I am considering it as my entreé for an upcoming dinner party! This can be easily prepared in advance.

Individually grease a few ramekins. Combine your sauce and noodles and scoop into your prepared dishes. Top with a few panko breadcrumbs, (gluten-free if desired or use crushed flax seeds), and drizzle with olive oil or melted coconut oil or ghee. You can refrigerate until ready and then bake while you and your guests are enjoying some of my famous guacamole for a nice starter.

I highly recommend finishing this off under the broiler for a few minutes for a nice brown and crispy finish.

BEST EVER VEGAN MAC N CHEESE (adapted from FMTV)

INGREDIENTS:

1 head of cauliflower (about 1 lb)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup raw, crispy cashews (soaked over night or a minimum of 1 hour in hot water)
2 cloves garlic
1 large shallot
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
2 cups of gluten-free or whole grain pasta of your choice
sea salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill a medium pot with water and a pinch of salt. Place on stove to heat.
Chop cauliflower florets into equal-sized pieces, than coat and massage the florets with olive oil and a healthy pinch of sea salt. Place in over and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Finely chop the shallots and garlic. Sauté in olive oil with a pinch of salt over medium-low heat until transulcent and soft, about 10 minutes.
Cook your pasta in the salted boiling water according to directions and than drain. Set aside.
To make the cashew cream as your sauce base, add soaked cashews and 3/4 cup water to a high speed blender. Start your blender on low, than work your way up to high, using the plunger to push the sauce into the blades.
Add a pinch of salt, black pepper, nutritional yeast, the roasted cauliflower, and sautéed shallots and garlic. Blend until smooth.
To assemble, add cooked pasta to a large mixing bowl and pour sauce directly out of the of blender onto the pasta.
Gently stir until all the pasta is completely coated in sauce. Serve immediately or scoop into individual ramekins and bake until heated through (20 minutes). Finish off under the broiler and get ready to WOW your guests.