“This is the best mac
‘n’ cheese on the planet. End of story.” (VegNews, October 2008)
I agree! This one is going in my permanent rotation of easy weeknight dinners. My 17 year
old son scarfed it down like crazy and even complimented me on it! (SHOCK!!) Seriously, I NEVER in a million years thought I would prefer a classic like macaroni and cheese without a shred of cheese in sight. Crazy. Compare this recipe with an old favorite of mine (here) and just see the difference! Ridiculous, right?
Here’s what
you need:
8 ounces
macaroni
3 slices
bread, torn in pieces (original recipe called for 4 slices, but I preferred 3)
2 T + 1/3 C
non-dairy, non-hydrogenated butter (Earth Balance brand is super)
2 T
shallots, peeled and chopped
1 C red or
yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
¼ C carrots,
peeled and chopped
1/3 C onion,
peeled and chopped
1 C water
¼ C raw
cashews
1 t sea salt
¼ t garlic,
minced
¼ t Dijon
mustard
1 T lemon
juice
¼ t black
pepper
1/8 t
cayenne pepper
¼ t paprika
Here’s what
you do:
Cook the
macaroni according to directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
In a food
processor make the bread crumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 T of butter. Set
aside. (One comment here: these homemade breadcrumbs took this mac ‘n’ cheese
way, way into the stratosphere of comfort – don’t skimp)
In a sauce
pan add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onions, and water and bring to a boil. Cover
and simmer for 15 minutes or until veg is really, really soft.
In a blender
process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 C non-dairy butter, mustard, lemon
juice, black pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika. Add the softened veg and all
the cooking liquid. Process until it is perfectly smooth.
Mix the
sauce and pasta. Place in 9 X 9 ish size baking dish. Sprinkle the buttery
breadcrumbs over. Bake 350 for about 30 minutes or until it’s nice and brown
and bubbly.
Tracy this looks phenomenal. I may have to try their recipe as my kids love mac and cheese, but they are super picky about it.
ReplyDeleteNice to know your kids consider this a success!
Have a great Thursday!
Rachel, I also like that there is no nutritional yeast used in this recipe - it's crazy good!
DeleteThis looks really good...I'm always looking for non-fish Friday meals during Lent. I may just have to give this a try...
ReplyDeleteThis mac from VegNews looks really nice, and is quite different using those cooked, blended veggies as the sauce, I like that idea. We also much prefer the plant-based macs to the dairy-based ones! So many fun vegan versions out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that our culture is starting to come around, slowly but surely, to the fact that plant-based foods are totally delicious. I love that folks are beginning to avoid relying on factory farmed animals and animal products in their cooking. Actually, it's plant foods (onion, garlic, herbs, spices, citrus, etc. ) that provide most of the flavor to many dishes :-)
Congrats on this dish, Tracy! And I hope you made out OK over Saint Patty's!
XOXO
Tracy, I just made this and OMG - it's SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to share it on my blog :)
ReplyDeleteLivvy, I am so glad you liked it....crazy that it's just carrots and potatoes, right?? Best mac and cheese I have ever had!
Delete