So legend has it, this recipe from VegNews is the “best mac ‘n’ cheese on the planet,”—vegan or not. I had to try it for myself and well . . . the rumors are true. This mac and cheese is outstanding! It doesn’t take fake at all, is creamy and incredibly tasty. You won’t believe that it has onions, carrots, and potatoes in it. Seriously. Between the three of us, we cleaned up a 9×12 pan of it in no time.
INGREDIENTS:
8-oz elbow macaroni (I used about 10-ounces)
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces (I recommend using 2–4 was WAY too much)
2 Tbs + 1/3 C Earth Balance margarine (this is one stick)
2 Tbs shallots, chopped
1 C red potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used one large russet potato)
1/4 C carrot, chopped
1/3 C onion, chopped
1 C water
1/4 C cashews
2 tsp salt (I used 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika
Optional: 1/4 C nutritional yeast (I threw it in for some extra B vitamins)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Place the bread pieces in a food processor with the 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance and process until well crumbly and well combined. I used Rudi’s brand and it made so much! I ended up only using maybe half of what it made and even that was too much. I highly recommend using 2 slices of bread with 1 tablespoon of margarine.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. In a medium saucepan, combine the potatoes, carrots, onions, and shallots with the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine the cashews, salt, garlic, remaining margarine, Dijon, lemon juice, pepper, cayenne, and nutritional yeast, if using. I recommend grinding the cashews up first before adding the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Add the vegetable/water mixture to the cashew mixture and blend it until smooth. You’ll end up with a creamy cheesy sauce.
In a large bowl, combine the sauce and pasta until well coated. Pour it into a 9×12 baking pan.
Top with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for 25-30 minutes and enjoy!
This looks yummy! I sooo appreciate your helpful tips and comments as you test and tweak the recipes (and love the pictures). Will be making this one soon!
Thanks! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. (I’m disappointed because there are no leftovers!)
I hear you re the leftovers LOL… I’ve had great success with your recipes, they are mighty tasty and honestly, when there are any leftovers, hubby and I occasionally fight over who gets them for lunch the next day!
Oh, thank you! That means a lot!
I’ve been meaning to try this one ever since that recipe was published. It looks great and I’m glad to hear that it tastes as good as they claimed it would taste!
Hey, going to make this this week (finally!). I keep meaning to ask you if you soak your cashews first or not.
No, I don’t soak the cashews, but I don’t see why you couldn’t.
Naw, I prefer the lazy option. Will report back soon.
Nutritional yeast is ridiculously expensive and fairly hard to come by where I am, so this is a blessing! But honestly, I’m sceptical. This does not taste like cheese, does it? If not, then what exactly makes it a mac and cheese…isn’t it more a mac and ambiguous cream sauce? Still got to try it for myself.
You could probably leave the nutritional yeast out. Being vegan, getting B vitamins are important to me, so I think the cost of the yeast is worth it. The magazine named it Mac and cheese and no, it’s not like cheese, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not delicious. Everyone’s different; you’ll either like it or you won’t.
I first made this recipe right after going vegan and I can’t explain what joy I felt after mixing the cheese sauce in my vita mix and tasting it. I then knew, for certain, I would not only be vegan for the rest of my life, but enjoy it thoroughly.