The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
from The Perfect Blend cookbookJanuary 29, 2012
If you’re looking for the best vegan mac and cheese recipe this version from The Perfect Blend cookbook will rock your world. It’s absolutely delicious!
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
If you're looking for the best vegan mac and cheese recipe this version from The Perfect Blend cookbook will rock your world. It's absolutely delicious!
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) gluten-free elbow macaroni
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Celtic sea salt
- 4 cups (220g) diced shiitake mushrooms (or cremini)
- 1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup (150g) diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (140g) raw unsalted cashews, soaked
- 1 cup (140g) steamed cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup (44g) nutritional yeast, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion, plus more to taste
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package until al dente, and drain thoroughly.
-
While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and sauté the mushrooms with the soy sauce and thyme for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
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In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Allow to cool slightly.
-
To make the sauce, throw the onion mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, the broth, lemon juice, cashews, cauliflower, nutritional yeast, miso paste, turmeric, and cayenne pepper into your blender, and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy.
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Transfer the pasta to a large pot, and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir the sauce into the pasta along with the mushrooms and gently warm over low heat. Stir in the parsley, chives, and green onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes
Recipe from The Perfect Blend cookbook
Photo by Trent Lanz and styling by Alicia Buszczak
Comments 58
Well, I know what I am making for dinner tonight! Easy, breezy – creamy and cheezy! Yea, that was cheezy. 🙂 Sounds delicious! Thanks, Tess!
LOL! Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
I cannot wait to make this and devour it!
Thanks Tess, for the amazing new recipe. You are AWESOME AND MORE!!!
Thanks Stacey!
I love you!!!
Oh my all these recipes are fabulous I really am prepared to make more healthy changes now I just need the vitamix
Yes! You DO need a Vitamix!
I am crossing my fingers for you!
Great to have you here 🙂
This sounds great; however, my daughter is allergic to nuts. Would you suggest other alternatives to the cashews? Thanks!
Hey Jennie
You can do several things if you don’t want to use cashews:
You can use raw macadamias or blanched almonds.
You can omit nuts all together and the sauce still tastes great.
Or you can blend in some avocado for the creaminess and add in some carrot, roasted sweet red pepper or a touch of tomato paste to make it an orange colour.
I hope this helps.
Feel free to email me – address is in the FAQ section if you need any more help.
Great to have you here.
I really like the avocado and cooked carrot idea. Thanks! Amybeth Hurst, Portland
Awesome. Enjoy 🙂
This looks soo good!!! I can’t tell you how badly I want this machine!!! I’m a new Vegan & this would make it so much easier for me with the transition!!!
OH! I am crossing my fingers for you!
The winner is picked randomly after calculating the bonus entries.
Great to have you here 🙂
This was DELICIOUS! I added a medium cooked carrot to the sauce for some more added color ( and I had it in the fridge) and added a touch more nutritional yeast. It was so cheesy and creamy, I could have eaten it by the spoonful! My new favorite dairy free “cheese sauce”!
Thanks Mercedes!
You reminded me about the colour.
I like it white – but I know people like it yellow.
I forgot to write about that in my post, so thankyou!!!
I have added roasted bell pepper or tomato paste to it for colour too 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it so much!!
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I made a nut free version of it tonight. Instead of the cashews, I added half an avocado and it was way creamy. I added the cheese sause to my non vegan taco meet and the kids loved it. I am going to try Mac n cheese tomorrow….hopefully the kids will love it too. Thanks again!
Yes Jennie! That is what I did for my niece who is nut free!
Thankyou for the reminder.
I will add that to the post for others who need to make it nut free.
I am glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Silly question….What do you mean blend till it is piping hot? The more you blend the sauce, the hotter it will get?
Hey Mrs Love!
That is not a silly question – I was a bit unclear.
Apologies for that.
If you have a Vitamix just blend until the sauce gets hot. The natural friction heat of the blades will heat the sauce.
If you have a conventional blender, just blend until smooth and creamy and then heat in a saucepan in order to serve.
Oh, TESS, TESS, TESS! This dish was spectacular! I added a bit more nutritional yeast too and some chipotle pepper (We like it KICKY!) I love that this sauce was mostly comprised of veggies and spices. Would be great over some raw zucchini noodles, kelp noodles and just some lightly steamed veggies. LOVE IT!
I have so enjoyed making your recipes this month! Thanks for your time and dedication to the giveaway and the recipes this month. You have done wonders! I have been going thru many of your recipes and WOW! such a plethora of YUMMINESS! You are awesome and much appreciated!
Oh Kibby!
I am so glad you enjoyed this!
I really love this recipe.
Thankyou so much for trying so many of the recipes this month, and for all of your beautiful comments of encouragement.
I can’t wait to feature you as the Pig Of The Month in April.
You are my new piggy blending partner in crime!
Breaking the law! Breaking the law! It’s great to have someone as passionate about healthy, whole foods and blended ones at that as you are to share with. If we lived closer, I think we’d be playing and troughing up in the kitchen. I know it’s where I am most comfortable and creative. 🙂
LOL!
Yes! We would be blending up a storm!
That is for sure!!!
One day….piggy….one day 🙂
oh my! i just made this for dinner. sadly, i forgot to get the mushrooms when i went to the store. no worries though. i ended up adding some spinach to mine for something extra. i can’t wait to have the leftovers. thanks for such a great recipe!
Hey Misstracee
Spinach is a wonderful addition to this recipe for some extra greens and flavour.
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Thank you so much Tess! Just what I needed the kids will love it. You’re the best!
You are welcome! ENJOY 🙂
I just stumbled across this site looking for something healthy for dinner. My hubby doesn’t eat dairy but felt like Mac and Cheese.
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious.
I can’t describe how yummy, sweet and nutty. Really good. He loved it too. Can’t wait to try more or your recipes.
Hey Becky!
Great to have you here.
I am so pleased you enjoyed this recipe.
Thankyou for your lovely email too.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of the other recipes. Lots more dairy free recipes!
This looks very yummy.
Thanks!
I really love this recipe.
Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
I made this the other day. It was very easy to make and soooo yummy! My husband loved it as well. I will def be making this again! thanks for this great recipe!
Thanks Gina!
I am glad you and hubby enjoyed this recipe.
It is such a quick easy tasty dinner 🙂
Great! I am SO pleased it was a hit!
Super easy and twice as yummy!!! Perfect comfort food. Loved it, Tess!
Oh Great!
Thanks Christine 🙂
Love this… And so do the kids! (always a bonus) x oink oink
Thanks! I am so pleased.
Mac N Cheese is always a winner isn’t it.
Great to be able to sneak some veggies in there too 🙂
Just made this tonight! Very very impressed with how creamy it was! The only milk I had on hand was unsweetened vanilla almond milk or original almond milk so I used the unsweetened and I felt I could really taste the almond milk, not so much the sweetness but maybe a combo of the cashews and almond milk made it taste really nutty. Anyhow….my 3 yr old ate it but did not gobble it up. My husband and I scarfed it down!! I had quite of bit of left over sauce so I went ahead and added to bowl and will add some more noodles and broccoli to it tomorrow with maybe a touch of mustard. Thank you so much I will be def adding this to my fav’s. I ‘ll let you know how it is tomorrow!
Thanks Katie.
YES! Broccoli, mushrooms and mustard makes for a WINNING combination!
Thankyou! Great to be connected here.
My fingers are crossed that you get a Vitamix soon! It will change your life 🙂
Hi Tess 🙂 Ok, so I haven’t tried any of your recipes YET (I just scroll through all of them at work and drool lol) but I’m reeeeeally interested to try this one. My hubby and I need to stay away from cheese – this seems like the perfect option. That being said, I’ve been dealing with fungal infections the last year and a half, so yeast and mushrooms are off the menu 🙁 any replacement suggestions???
Hey Talia,
You don’t need the mushrooms for this recipe to taste amazing. I serve it to my niece without the mushrooms. If you want to add in some vegetables, just stir-fry some broccoli and garlic, or green beans. Anything really. But it is great on it’s own!
I was skeptical… anything but “white-flour pasta and real Pecerino-Romano cheese” to an Italian is almost blasphamy. I’m glad to say my husband and I were pleasantly surprised! It was more like “Pasta Alfredo” than Mac & Cheese (but hey, that’s even BETTER!) I had good ‘beginners luck’ picking the gluten-free pasta brand – it was pretty close to the real thing (although I did overcook it a bit). My first batch was a very bland, but that’s fixable for next time. Even my 10-year old ate some… and he doesn’t eat ANYTHING.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience. I love getting this feedback.
I love it, my husband and my son love it too it was great thank you first time and its great
Great. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Just tried it and LOVE it!! Great recipe. Super creamy and yummy. Thank you!
Great! So glad you enjoyed it.
My wife is gonna love this when she gets home. Keep me out of the dog house for awhile. I look for low SOS (salt, oil, sugar) and this filled the bill. Delicious!
Great! I am glad you enjoyed it.
I want to become a vegetarian and I want to find new foods to try and I’m only 14 how can I try to stay a vegetarian
Keep experimenting with different vegetarian foods to find what you enjoy, and read books, blogs, and magazines to find great recipes that will keep you inspired. I recommend starting every day with a green smoothie or soup to get your daily dose of fruits and vegetables. I also eat a lot of salads with different kinds of protein (tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, etc). Veganism and Vegetarianism is so big now, there are tons of wonderful books with great ideas. But, quick smoothies and soups make things much easier. Good luck!
I’m extremely new to cooking and I took a gamble on this. Believe it or not it seemed quite daunting for me, what with it not coming ready made in a packet, but it was a breeze and so so tasty. I thoroughly impressed my new vegan girlfriend! Brownie points for me! Ooh, vegan brownies next perhaps!?
Thank you. 🙂
Ha! I love it! Brownies are always a good idea. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Where has this recipe been all my life?!?
LOL! You are so cute. Enjoy!
I made this craving some serious comfort food!! And didn’t want to go shopping so made it with left overs I had in my fridge 🙂 So made the sauce with some cashews and an avocado instead of cauliflower and added a roasted paprika I had and added some mustard powder to the spices. Also had no toppings so made vegan parmezan with the rest of the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt. It was awesome! Just the comfort food I needed <3
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your tweaks. Gotta love paprika 🙂