Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the macaroni:
- 10 ounces of dried pasta of choice
- heaping 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight and then drained & rinsed or see notes for quick soaking*
- ⅔ cup of pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup veggie broth
- 1 tablespoon of vegan butter softened
- ⅓ cup of plant based milk
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp of garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
For the topping:
- 1 cups of panko breadcrumbs check to ensure yours are vegan- most are but not all
- 3 tablespoons of melted vegan butter
- ¼ cup of vegan parmesan optional- can sub for 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast I love the Violife vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
- Cook the pasta according to its package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce: in a food processor or high speed blender, combine the soaked cashews, pumpkin, nutritional yeast, broth, milk, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend until creamy and smooth.
- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and stir to combine.
- Once pasta is done, drain and rinse and then pour the cheese sauce over top. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared casserole dish and top with the breadcrumb mixture, spreading evenly over the top.
- Bake for 22-26 minutes or until the top has a nice and golden grown color to it. Let cool slightly and ENJOY!
Notes
* you can quick soak your cashews by covering them in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes and then take off of the heat. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse.
