Can you guess my favorite food?
Macaroni and cheese.
Okay maybe it’s my second favorite, after chocolate. But seriously, if you served me vegan macaroni and cheese every night for dinner, you’d never hear me complain. Not once. It is my #1 comfort food of choice, and many of my childhood holiday dinners went something like this:
- Christmas Eve: Family eats lobster. Katie eats macaroni and cheese.
- New Year’s Day: Family eats pork. Katie eats macaroni and cheese.
- Easter: Family eats pink ham.
Katie eats…
MACARONI AND CHEESE.
It was probably the single most difficult food to give up when I went vegan, and as a former cheese-lover with very high standards, I’ve tried some pretty lousy vegan macaroni and cheese substitutes over the years.
Such as the mock-n-cheese from The Squeeze Food Truck.
However, I’ve also tried some really good vegan mac and cheese recipes! For example, Soul Vegetarian Café in Washington DC makes a vegan macaroni and cheese so authentic you will swear you’re eating the real thing.
When my friend Dreena sent me a copy of her new cookbook, Let Them Eat Vegan, the healthy macaroni and cheese recipe, entitled “Mac Oh Geez,” was first to catch my eye, and even though it sounded complicated, I knew I’d have to try it.
It was well worth the effort! I’m not going to say this vegan macaroni and cheese recipe tastes exactly like real mac and cheese, but it’s just as good in its own right—creamy, cheesy, and comforting. I’ve now made the vegan mac and cheese three times and was even brave enough to serve it for Thanksgiving. (Remember this picture of my Thanksgiving dinner?)
No tofu, no cheese substitutes!
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups dry cut pasta (ex: macaroni, penne) (about 10 oz)
- 3/4 cup raw cashews (see “nutrition facts” link below for a nut-free version)
- 1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 medium clove garlic
- 2 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp (rounded) dry mustard
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups milk of choice (preferably: unsweetened almond or soymilk)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- For breadcrumb topping:
- 3/4 to 1 1/4 cups dry whole-grain breadcrumbs (See “nutritional info” link below, for gluten-free option)
- 1/2 to 1 tbsp olive oil
- Couple pinches sea salt
Instructions
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Recipe: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Throw pasta into a deep pot of boiling salted water. While pasta is cooking, blend all sauce ingredients (ingredients 2-11) in a blender or in a deep bowl with an immersion blender. Once pasta is almost tender, fully drain (don’t rinse). Mix noodles with sauce, and immediately pour into a lightly oiled 8 x 12” baking dish. (It will look like there is a lot of runny sauce – it will thicken up, trust the pasta!) Mix breadcrumb toppings in a small bowl, then sprinkle over top of casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 17-18 minutes. Then, remove foil cover and bake another 5-7 minutes or until topping is golden brown and crisped. Don’t overbake or sauce will get too thick. Remove from oven and place vegan macaroni and cheese casserole on a hot plate (rather than on top of oven, since residual heat from oven will continue to thicken the sauce). Serve! For troubleshooting, substitutions, and nutrition information, see the following link:
Did you have any favorite childhood comfort foods?
Without a doubt, my grandmother’s macaroni and cheese casserole was my favorite thing to eat when I was younger. But I also loved mashed sweet potatoes, hot chocolate, and basically any kind of spaghetti or pasta. Still do!
Hi Katie,
i have been following your blog since i tried your “buttery berry crumble bars, pb j blondie bars and polka dot banana bread” recipes -my family loves it–so i will definitely try this mac and cheese recipe! Plan to bring to this to a family potluck- my husband’s family is very health concious. Thank you for sharing this recipe Katie!
What do I say when I bring something to work and someone asks (in a hesitant voice): “So, is that…vegan?” I say “Yes! Let them eat vegan!” As for the mac and cheese recipe – I’m looking forward to something that doesn’t use some of the outrageously expensive (but awesomely delicious) commercially available vegan cheeses. Thanks for the post and the giveaway!
I love cheese though admittedly it doesn’t always love my tummy. If this tastes as good as it looks and sounds, not only will I be happy, but my tummy will be as well!
I love that this recipe doesn’t have tofu or fake cheese! Looks delicious!
This recipe looks delicious…but, then they all do! Thanks for all you do!
I am a vegan, with stage 3 cancer treating it naturally. My daughter 13, was diagnosed with an auto immune disease called alopecia areata. At 9 years old she lost all of her hair from head to toe. I depend a lot on the food we eat to make us well and bring us to a perfect balance of health and wellness. I love all of your recipes, since we are dairy and wheat/gluten free your site gives me a lot of options for birthdays and parties. My girls still feel like they get to eat something delicious and fit in with the rest of the kids. In fact they love showing off thier treats. I’d love the opportunity to win the cook book you are offering!!! I’m always looking for new recipes online. Our health expenses add up to a lot plus that good food we purchase. Thank you for your site and all you do!!
Yum! I decided to make this last night and it was fantastic! Thanks! Looking forward to checking out the other recipes in “Let them Eat Vegan”
I will try it! This Thanksgiving I made the “real” heart-attack-inducing kind…butter, heavy cream, sharp cheddar….you know…the kind you only eat once a year LOL!
This looks so yummy! I would love to win the cookbook too!
This sounds amazing!! I’ve made Angela’s mac and cheeze with butternut squash and it changed the way i feel about mac and cheese forever. I would love that cookbook because i have just recently gone vegan and don’t yet have a grasp on cooking the basics! This recipe is definitely next on my list 🙂