Description
This vegan baked mac and cheese is THE comfort dish. Creamy, cheesy, smokey, with the perfect breadcrumb topping to finish it off.
Ingredients
- 3 cups / 340g / 12 ounces macaroni pasta* (or pasta of choice)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium potato,* washed and grated
- ½ cup / 75g raw cashews
- ⅓ cup / 27g nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Crumb topping:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup / 60g breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion flakes (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup parsley, finely chopped (a large handful)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in the pasta. Cook as per packet instructions.
- Drain the pasta once cooked and add it to the baking dish.
- In the meantime, in a small saucepan on medium heat, add the oil, onion, and garlic.
- Sweat down the indredients for a few minutes stirring occasionally until slightly golden on the edges.
- Add in the grated potato and cook until the potato has softened. Add a little water if it starts to stick – around 1-2 tablespoons.
- Place the cashews, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, water, the cooked onion, garlic, and potato mix, plus 1½ cups / 375ml of water into a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta, mixing well, and set aside.
- To a frying pan on medium-high heat, add all the crumb ingredients, and toast for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful as it can burn very quickly.
- Top the pasta with it and place it in the oven for around 10 minutes or longer if you’d like a crispier top. You don’t want to leave it in there too long as it will dry it out. Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
Pasta: You can use whatever pasta you like here. I went for the more traditional style and used macaroni. See suggestions earlier in the post. I have made it with a gluten-free penne before and it’s just as delicious!
Potato: Any potato variety that is good for mash.
- Diet: Vegan
