Mac and Cheese is one of those foods that I feel everyone adores (unless you don't like cheese, then acceptable). Mac and Cheese is comfort food— warm, cheesy pasta creating tiny heart bubbles in your stomach. Mac and Cheese is one of the first dishes I veganized. I grew up eating Kraft boxes like it was no one’s business. I learned from a young age how to make myself a box of Mac and Cheese and how to zhuzh it up. My obsession with Kraft was real. If they released new pasta shapes, I begged my mom to take me to the grocery store so we could find them. Most times, my mother could put a bowl of mac in front of me, and I would be a happy clam for 30 minutes.
Replicating cheese is hard. I will be frank. I haven’t attempted to make vegan cheese blocks because the process is vigorous and intimidating. Cheezy sauces are a bit easier. Cheese was quite hard for me to give up. Now with the plethora of choices buying vegan cheese isn’t difficult. But five years ago, when I went vegan, options were quite limited. I couldn’t fathom giving up Mac n Cheese forever. Hence the creation of this recipe. This Mac n Cheese recipe is a recipe that has been developing for five years. Yes, since I went vegan.
There are so many variations to Mac n Cheese. I have rewritten this recipe many times, but this is the ONE. It’s nut-free, dairy-free, and doesn’t require the addition of vegan cheese. All plants, baby!
POTATOES— potatoes are the foundation of this recipe. Once tender, the potatoes will provide a creamy and starchy element to the sauce.
CARROTS— carrots will provide a beautiful yellow-orange hue to the sauce and nutrients!
LEMON JUICE— our acid! Fresh lemon juice provides the savory and tangy bite we look for in cheese.
LIGHT MISO— another critical ingredient. Miso lends a salty, tangy, and savory taste.
NUTRITIONAL YEAST— the last and final key ingredient. This is our cheese! Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast made of beet powder and molasses. It does not have a leavening agent so you cannot use this in place of active dry yeast or instant yeast. Nutritional yeast delivers a unique savory and umami taste to the sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
2 medium potatoes, chopped
2 medum carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves
juice of one lemon
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp miso
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp vegan butter
6 tbsp oat milk
16oz pasta
STEPS:
Bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, heavily salt the water and drop in the potatoes, carrots, and garlic cloves. Cook vegetables until tender.
Scoop the vegetables out of the pot and add to a blender. Add the uncooked pasta in the same pot you cooked the vegetables.
To the blender, add all the ingredients minus the butter and milk. Blend and taste. Your sauce should be creamy and smooth. If you feel like it’s too thick, scoop out some pasta water.
Drain your pasta and add it back to the pot. Add the butter and milk, stir into the pasta. Pour in the cheeze sauce and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.