Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese
Here it is folks… my vegan mac and cheese recipe! I’m all about the flavor when it comes to mac and cheese, and I personally feel like baking it really brings the cheesy flavors out. And guess what? This recipe is nut free! No expensive cashews in sight here. I hate when a recipe calls for ingredients that hurt my wallet or that I don’t have in my pantry! The vegan cheese in this recipe is entirely optional, I just added it for some extra pizazz. But, as for plant milk and nooch... I know every vegan has some in their stash ;)
INGREDIENTS
pasta of your choice
1-2 cups any unsweetened plant-based milk
¼-½ cup nutritional yeast
vegan butter
flour
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper
bread crumbs (be sure to use vegan bread crumbs; I find most brands are not vegan except for panko bread crumbs!)
vegan cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 325. Melt a tablespoon of vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add about 2 cups of plant milk, ¼ cup to ½ cup of nutritional yeast (matter of preference), garlic powder, onion powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper.
Stir continuously for about 10 minutes or until the sauce is hot. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir well to combine. Allow the sauce to continue to heat for another 10 minutes.
While waiting for the sauce to thicken, cook your pasta until almost al dente, but not quite. There should still be some crunch to it.
4. Add the slightly cooked pasta to your cheese sauce. Stir well and add any extra seasoning to taste.
5. Grease a 13x9 baking dish and pour the cheesy pasta into it. Top with breadcrumbs and extra nutritional yeast. Bake in an oven at 325 for about 10-15 minutes or until the top looks crispy/browned.
I like my mac and cheese cheesy, but not too creamy. I also love to put hot sauce on top, too! No judgement here. :) Enjoy! Let me know how you like yours over on Insta!
