Thats right I said it,
The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe I think you will ever try.
Now, when I mean best, I mean best in Taste, not necessarily in healthiness, because I have certainly made healthier cheesy sauce options out of butternut squash, cauliflower, cashews, etc. They were all good, but personally after trying this recipe that Tim (my husband) altered to be vegan, I was sold. Tim found the recipe after watching Tastemade’s Snapchat story on The Fastest Mac and Cheese (not vegan or gluten free though). Most of the time, my gluten free pasta leftovers kind of die a tad compared to when it was made fresh. Gluten free pasta just has a hard time not sticking together after cooling down. This time, I used Joviel’s gluten free pasta, and their Einkorn pasta, and both were a success. Plus, mac and cheese tends to get a little bit drier the next day, but with this recipe the pasta remained creamy and moist heated up in the microwave. I even sold a few plates to my co-workers and they were delighted to eat it! Very delicious.
But the key, is the pasta starch, and picking good vegan cheeses: My favorite for this dish = Daiya cheese. The only thing I do not like about their cheeses is that they use Canola oil, which I really hate buying products that use this kind of processed oil. I would much rather sunflower, avocado or coconut oils, but I don’t eat their cheeses every week so I let it slide (and hope that in the future they will change up their ingredients). Another alternative is Follow Your Heart vegan cheeses, they do not seem to use Canola oil, but I think I like the taste of Daiya’s cheddar cheese better for this dish particularly. Perhaps mix it up and try both, why not?
TIP: The flavors of this dish is so good, but if you want to pack it in with even more, my Mother suggested for me to boil the broccoli in the pasta water (with your pasta) in the last 3 minutes of boiling your pasta, and then adding it to your dish, a lovely idea! However, that won’t work for this dish because you aren’t cooking your pasta in a pot and adding enough liquid to do that with, but it’s perfect for any other pasta meal! So if you want to add peas or broccoli or spinach, steam it on the side and then mix it in. 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp - Vegan Butter (I used I cant believe its not butter)
- 1 Shallot (or 1/2 of an Onion) - minced
- 1 Cup - Gluten Free Elbow Pasta (I used Joviels)
- 1 Cup - "No Chicken Better Than Bullion" stock (or your favorite vegetable stock)
- ½ cup - Daiya Cheddar Cheese, grated
- ½ Cup - Follow Your Heart Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 3 Tbsp - Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp - Chives, minced
- 1 Tbsp - Mustard Seeds
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add 1/2 Tbsp butter and your shallots. Sauté until fragrant.
- Add your elbow pasta and ½ cup of stock.
- Once the stock is evaporated, check if the pasta is fully cooked. If it needs to cook longer, add the other ½ cup of chicken stock.
- When the pasta is done, add the cheddar, parmesan cheese and nutritional yeast.
- Once the cheese is melted, add ½ tablespoon butter. Remove from heat and top with chives and mustard seeds.
Notes
Leftovers work well for this dish!