Summer Series: Baked Mac and Cheese
I took these pics when the mac and cheese was already cooled, so they don’t do it justice for how wonderfully creamy and “cheesy” it truly is. My family was so so so pleased with this recipe that I think I’ll be making it once a week from now on… even the baby was obsessed.
I am especially happy with this recipe, because I normally really dislike vegan cheese. This, however tastes wonderful and REAL. And it is decidedly healthier than real cheese. Kinder too!
Ingredients:
5 Tbsp vegan butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups oat milk or soy milk (I used Oatly’s Extra Cramy)
1/4 tsp salt (+ more to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (+ more to taste)
1.5 cups shredded/chopped/torn vegan cheese (I used 1 cup Follow Your Heart Smoked Gouda slices (chopped), 1/4 cup Daiya shredded mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Daiya shredded chedder)
1 cup white beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini beans)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder (1/2 tsp for the cheese sauce + 1/2 tsp for the breadcrumb topping)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 box of your favorite pasta
Italian seasoning blend to garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a large casserole dish.
In a large pot, melt vegan butter over medium-high heat.
Whisk in flour and cook until it smells toasty and bubbles up - about 2 min.
Whisk in oat milk and bring to a boil.
Add salt and pepper and continue whisking, cooking for about 3 more min.
Add your vegan cheese and whisk until melted and creamy!
Add beans and cook for about 2 min.
Using an immersion blender, blend beans until sauce is homogeneous and creamy.
Add 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, and stir until well incorporated.
In a separate pot, cook one package of your favorite macaroni according to package instructions. When just al dente, drain and add to cheese sauce and stir to coat pasta.
To make your topping, mix breadcrumbs, olive oil, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.
Pour cheesy pasta into greased casserole dish and cover evenly with breadcrumb topping.
Bake for 30 min until nice and brown on top.
Enjoy! (Pro tip: sprinkle some Italian seasoning on top for an extra burst of flavor)
