Creamy Vegan Mac n Cheese in 20 minutes!

Creamy Vegan Mac n Cheese in 20 minutes!

Chef Nora stuns with her dairy-free Mac n Cheese, a stovetop recipe that takes only 20 minutes! Bake it for an additional layer of crunch that goes well with the creaminess.

Ingredients for Mac n Cheese:

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews

• 2 cups water 

• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 200g shredded vegan cheddar cheese

• 340g ounces elbow pasta

Ingredients for Breacrumb topping:

• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

• 4 tbsp vegan butter

• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Preheat Oven (Skip if using stovetop):

1. Preheat the oven to 177 degrees Celsius (350 degrees F).

2. Lightly grease a casserole dish (22x33 cm).

Cheese Sauce:

1. Pour boiling water over cashews and let soak for 5 mins (or longer if using pestle and mortar).

2. Drain cashews and add to the blender with fresh water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, and vegan cheese.

3. Blend until very smooth. 

Pasta:

1. Cook pasta as per instructions on packaging.

2. Drain pasta.

3. Save a bit of pasta cooking water.

Stovetop Version:

1. Add drained pasta back to the pot.

2. Pour in the cheese sauce. 

3. Stir until it thickens.

Baked Version:

1. Add drained pasta to the casserole dish.

2. Coat and stir the cheese sauce on the pasta until evenly coated.

3. Sprinkle the Panko breadcrumbs over the pasta and sauce

4. Bake for about 15 minutes (be careful not to overbake).

5. Broil for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown.

Serving:

1. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of warm water and stir well to thin it out (works when reheating leftover sauce).

2. The baked version doesn't thin as well, so it's better to save the leftovers unbaked.

3. Squeeze some lemon for extra flavor.

4. Sprinkle chunks of leftover veggies for more fiber.

5. If you have tempeh or fried tofu, add some for more protein.

6. This serves 8 people.

Notes from the Chef:

1. The sauce itself freezes well, can be frozen in portions or in ice cube trays.

2. Don't freeze the pasta and sauce together as it gets thick and mushy.

3. Refrigerated leftovers will last 3-4 days.

4. For reheating, add a bit of water to the pasta to prevent it from being too thick.

5. The baked version doesn't need additional water when reheating.

6. You can make this dish without nutritional yeast, but make sure to add the vegan cheese.

Link to Original Recipe:

https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-mac-and-cheese-recipe/