Creamy, cheesy, and nutritious VEGAN mac and cheese. Easy to make, creamy AF, and packed with healthy secret vegetables.
- 16 ounces medium pasta shells
- 1/2 cup cashews quick-soaked
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup plant milk unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for sautéing veggies
- 1 teaspoon salt
- vegan tempeh bacon
- roasted broccoli bits
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook according to the directions on the package. Strain and set aside.*
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Add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water until just submerged. On your stove on high-heat, bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Soak the cashews for 15 minutes, then drain the water and add the cashews to the blender.
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Peel the sweet potato and chop into one-inch pieces. Mince the garlic. Chop the sweet onion into small pieces. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped sweet potato, onion, and minced garlic to the pan and cook until soft and roasted, about 15 minutes.
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To the blender, add the soaked cashews, the sautéed veggies, and the rest of the ingredients (vegetable broth, plant milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, miso paste, olive oil, and salt). Blend until smooth and creamy, about 4 minutes.
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Mix about half of the cheese sauce with the pasta shells and serve warm.**
* If your pasta is done early, rinse with cold water and shake out excess moisture. This will ensure that that the shells don't stick and clump together.
** This recipe makes A LOT of cheese sauce, more than enough for a 16 ounce box of pasta. But unless you have a small blender, it's better not to half the recipe. This way, the blender has enough ingredients to do its magic and make it extra creamy!