Vegan mac and cheese is easy to make, but difficult to make tasty. I’ve made more mistakes with this dish than most. First of all, while turmeric adds a nice yellow color, it does not taste like cheese! I keep thinking it will, since so many recipes use it, but it doesn’t, not to me. And it certainly isn’t tasteless, like some suggest. Following is a recipe that I like. No turmeric. I am thinking about adding a little saffron next time for color. What do you think?
Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
Elbow macaroni: 1 1/2 cups uncooked
Onion: 1 cup chopped
Red and green pepper: 1 cup chopped (can use one or both – using both makes it colorful)
Cauliflower: 1/2 cup chopped (optional)
Broccoli: 1/2 cup chopped (optional)
Celery: 3/4 cup chopped
Nutritional yeast: 1/2-3/4 cup
All-purpose flour: 1/4 cup (you could use cashews and water here if you want)
Salt: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Garlic powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Onion powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Almond milk (unsweetened): 2 cups
Mustard (or turmeric, if you are so inclined): 1/4-1/2 teaspoon
Cayenne pepper to taste
Paprika (or smoked paprika): 1/2 teaspoon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling water. Five minutes before it is done, add the vegetables (onion, red/green pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, etc). Drain.
- In a food processor or heavy blender, combine the remaining ingredients EXCEPT THE PAPRIKA. Once combined pour into a saucepan and heat while stirring until desired consistency. Pour over the macaroni and vegetables and mix well.
- Spread mixture in a prepared baking dish; sprinkle with paprika. Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Note: you can skip this step if you make the sauce thick enough and heat the above mixture after adding it all together.
eating fun 