Vegan Mac N Cheese Aka Creamy Cashew Macaroni Recipes

VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Rinse cashews in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add water to cover by 3 in. Cover and let stand overnight., Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse cashews, discarding liquid. Transfer to a food processor. Add 1-1/2 cups water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and seasonings; cover and process until pureed, 3-4 minutes, scraping down sides as needed., Drain macaroni; return to pan. Stir in cashew mixture. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until heated through. Sprinkle with additional paprika if desired.

VEGAN MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions in a large pan of salted boiling water.
• Meanwhile, peel and halve the onion, then place in a small pan over a medium heat with the milk. Slowly bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
• Pick out and discard the onion, then set aside. Melt the margarine in another pan over a medium heat, then add the flour, stirring continuously until it forms a paste - this is the roux.
• Gradually add the warm milk a little at a time, whisking continuously until smooth. Bring to the boil, then simmer for around 10 minutes, or until thickened.
• Stir in the mustard and nutritional yeast flakes, grate and stir in the vegan cheese (if using), then season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Drain and add the macaroni to the sauce, then toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof baking dish (roughly 20cm x 30cm), then set aside.
• Peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the thyme leaves, discarding the stalks. Add to a medium pan over a medium heat with a splash of oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden, then transfer to a food processor with the breadcrumbs and a splash of oil. Blitz until combined and roughly chopped, then sprinkle over the pasta.
• Place the dish in the hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Leave to stand for around 5 minutes, then serve with seasonal greens.

VEGAN MAC N CHEESE AKA CREAMY CASHEW MACARONI

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Cover so it won't dry out.
• Grind cashews in food processor on high speed until relatively smooth. It's okay if the result is rather grainy looking, so long as what you have is mostly a thick paste.
• With processor on low speed, slowly add in the entire can of coconut milk.
• Dissolve the bullion cube in the hot water completely. Again with processor on low speed, slowly pour into the cashew/coconut milk mixture to incorporate fully.
• Add in the garlic and blend.
• Still on slow speed, add in the nutritional yeast, 2TB at a time. Taste after each 2TB to determine the taste that suits you. More nutritional yeast = more cheddar-y type flavor, however, some people do not like the yeast-y flavor it can impart. Add in as much or as little as suits you.
• Add in the vinegar the same way, starting with about 1TB, then adding in more 1tsp at a time, tasting after each tsp to determine what you like. The more vinegar you add, the more "sharp" taste you get. For a very sharp taste, try white vinegar.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the sauce is at your satisfaction, pour over the pasta and mix well. Add in water (or make some additional broth) if you prefer a thinner sauce. Refrigerate any leftover sauce.
• I coupled this with some braised spinach (2 bunches of fresh spinach coarsely chopped and sautéed in 2TB olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes), that I threw right into the bowl (you can see the spinach in the picture above). Other veggies that would probably pair nicely: peas, braised julienne carrots, steamed broccoli, steamed asparagus tips.

THE BEST VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE YOU'LL EVER EAT

Steps:

• *To make the cashew cheese sauce: soak the cashews in 4 cups of water for at least 2 hours; otherwise I've found that you can easily speed up the process by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water and placing over high heat. Bring water to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat; let the cashews sit for 30-45 minutes in the warm water, then drain.
• Once the cashews have finished soaking you'll be ready to make the sauce: add drained cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, almond milk, jalapeno, turmeric, paprika, onion powder, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper to a high powered blender. Blend until a thick sauce comes together. If you want a thinner sauce, add a bit more almond milk. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
• Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package, until they are al dente. Drain noodles, then add back to pot and stir in your cashew cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. You may need more salt! Garnish with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

CREAMY VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni al dente, according to package instructions (usually requires boiling for 6-8 minutes in salted water), drain, and set aside.
• Bring several cups of water to boil in a small pot. Place chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion in the boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soft enough to blend. Cooking time will vary slightly, based on how small you have chopped your veggies.
• When veggies are soft enough to blend, use a slotted spoon to remove them from cooking water, and place them in your blender. Add 3/4 cup of that cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients (including cashews).
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour sauce over your cooked macaroni noodles in a dish of your choice, taste for salt, and serve immediately.
• Or, place macaroni mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, or until crumbs are turning golden brown.

EASY 1 POT VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, measure out the cheese, butter, nutritional yeast, vinegar, garlic and onion powder, sugar, and salt.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil. Add macaroni noodles. Cook pasta al denté, according to package instructions. Drain the pasta but DO NOT rinse it. The leftover starch from cooking the pasta thickens the cheese sauce.
• In the pot you used to boil the pasta, turn heat to medium. Add the cooked macaroni, and stir in unsweetened almond milk, and measured ingredients from step 1. The mac and cheese will look a little soupy at this stage.
• Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until vegan cheese is melted, and the sauce is smooth and thickened to your liking. Taste and adjust seasoning.

VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Boil the cashews, potatoes, and carrots until tender (about 8-10 minutes). Drain well and set aside.
• Place macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook until al dente and according to package directions (about 9-10 minutes). Drain and set aside.
• Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender (except garlic & butter). Blend until potatoes, carrots & cashews have completely broken down and sauce is smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat up butter in a large pan over medium heat. When melted, add garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds, until lightly golden and fragrant (be careful not to burn).
• Pour in the cheese sauce and cook for 4-6 minutes until sauce thickens up and becomes slightly stretchy. Stir often to prevent burning. If it's too thick, add a splash of broth. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
• Now add pasta and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• The night before, soak the cashew nuts in water and leave overnight.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Steam the carrots and potatoes together for 5 mins, until completely softened. Transfer to a food processor. Drain the cashews and add these with 60ml of the oil, then blitz to break down the nuts. Tip in the other ingredients - apart from the macaroni, breadcrumbs and the remaining oil - then blitz again until the mixture is smooth and season well. Add a splash of water and just a drizzle of olive oil if it looks too stiff, then set aside.
• Cook the macaroni in a large pan of salted water for 1 min less than packet instructions, drain then stir through the sauce. Transfer the mix to an ovenproof dish, stir the breadcrumbs with the remaining oil and some seasoning. Scatter over the top of the macaroni and bake for 20-25 mins until piping hot and crisp.

VEGAN MAC N CHEESE AKA CREAMY CASHEW MACARONI

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Cover so it won't dry out.
• Grind cashews in food processor on high speed until relatively smooth. It's okay if the result is rather grainy looking, so long as what you have is mostly a thick paste.
• With processor on low speed, slowly add in the entire can of coconut milk.
• Dissolve the bullion cube in the hot water completely. Again with processor on low speed, slowly pour into the cashew/coconut milk mixture to incorporate fully.
• Add in the garlic and blend.
• Still on slow speed, add in the nutritional yeast, 2TB at a time. Taste after each 2TB to determine the taste that suits you. More nutritional yeast = more cheddar-y type flavor, however, some people do not like the yeast-y flavor it can impart. Add in as much or as little as suits you.
• Add in the vinegar the same way, starting with about 1TB, then adding in more 1tsp at a time, tasting after each tsp to determine what you like. The more vinegar you add, the more "sharp" taste you get. For a very sharp taste, try white vinegar.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the sauce is at your satisfaction, pour over the pasta and mix well. Add in water (or make some additional broth) if you prefer a thinner sauce. Refrigerate any leftover sauce.
• I coupled this with some braised spinach (2 bunches of fresh spinach coarsely chopped and sautéed in 2TB olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes), that I threw right into the bowl (you can see the spinach in the picture above). Other veggies that would probably pair nicely: peas, braised julienne carrots, steamed broccoli, steamed asparagus tips.