Recipe: Vegan Mac N' Cheese
This mac & cheese dish is usually a crowd favorite.
The key here is to buy 3 different kinds of cheese! That will give the cheese sauce major flavor and complexity.
This recipe was originally adapted from Cedella Marley's Cookin' With Herb Cookbook
Ingredients:
2 cups plant-based milk, room temperature
5 tablespoons plant butter, divided
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 pound of elbow macaroni
1/4 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (optional)
1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella style dairy-free cheese
1 cup grated Cheddar style dairy-free cheese
1/2 cup grated American style dairy-free cheese
Dried parsley, to garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish or a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of butter.
Place breadcrumbs into a small bowl, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and pour over the breadcrumbs. Add 1/4 cup of the Mozzarella-style cheese to the bowl. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the vegetable bouillon to the water and stir. Add the pasta and cook just until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until it is smooth. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour turns pale golden, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in the room temperature milk, a little at a time and once all the milk is added, continue to cook the mixture, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, ground black pepper and ground chipotle pepper (if using).
Add the grated cheddar-style cheese, American-style cheese, and Mozerella-style cheese a little at a time to ensure it melts smoothly. Reserve 1/4 of the cheese to place atop the macaroni. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the dairy-free cheese is melted. Stir in the cooked pasta with a flexible spatula or wooden spoon.
Turn the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle the remaining tbsp of nutritional yeast. Cover pan with foil to ensure thorough baking. Bake until breadcrumbs are browned, and cheese is bubbling- 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, garnish parsley, and serve immediately