It’s a surprise snow day today and nothing says Snow Day like comfort food.
I’m not the biggest Mac N’ Cheese fan, truth be told. I don’t do a lot of pasta and I don’t miss cheese in 20 years of being vegan. But every so often, I have a little cheesy pasta craving and this super easy recipe does the trick.
Nathan and Milly are both big fans of this dish, which is actually the primary reason I make it. That and the ingredients to make the cheesy sauce are all easy to find locally this time of year. This recipe takes a total of 30 minutes to make and the ingredients are all very inexpensive, or very likely things you already have in the house. So it’s easy, quick, convenient, cheap, and the healthiest Mac N’ Cheese you’ll ever feed your kids (or yourself!)
PS…If you’re not a pasta fan, you can use quinoa, rice, barley, or any other grain you prefer instead of pasta. It will still taste DELICIOUS!
Vegan Mac n’ Cheese~
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8oz pasta (elbow macaroni, shells, twists OR 1 cup quinoa, rice or other pasta substitute)
1 head broccoli (for adults or kids who love broccoli!), broken into bite-size florets
1 cup peas (for the kiddos or adults who love peas)
optional: any additional veggies you like. I recommend butternut squash, sweet potato, cauliflower, or even strips of kale
cheesy sauce:
2 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small carrots, cut into chunks
1/2 onion, quartered
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup (or more as needed) coconut milk
1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 30 minutes
2 tsp cumin
2 Tbs nutritional yeast
salt, pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook the pasta or alternate grain according to package instructions. Once it’s done, remove from her and keep warm.
Prep your cheese sauce. Bring water to boil in a small pot. Add in the potatoes and carrots. Cook for about 3 minutes, until soft. Then add in the onion, cooking for another 3-5 minutes until the onion is soft.
While veggies are softening, steam your non-sauce veggies. Broccoli and peas can be steamed together. Squash/Sweet Potato can be steamed together. Broccoli/peas should take about 2 minutes. Squash/Sweet Potato will take a bit longer, depending on how small the chunks are. When they are the perfect balance between soft and firm, remove from heat and set aside.
One the cheesy sauce veggies are soft, remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and add to a blender with remaining sauce ingredients (garlic, nutritional yeast, coconut milk, cumin, cashews, salt, and pepper). Also, add a little bit of the water you cooked the veggies in for a creamier texture. Blend thoroughly, until smooth and cheesy.
Combine pasta, veggies, and cheesy sauce in bowls. Add more salt/pepper as needed. Add some toasted shredded coconut, if you’re feeling fancy.
Enjoy the comfort food deliciousness!
