clearly I take my mac n cheese pretty seriously considering I now have 3 recipes which may seem unnecessary. however I beg to differ. i love all 3 of my children equally in different ways. sometimes I am craving a classic mac n cheese . other times my mouth is watering for some good buffalo mac n cheese and then there are those times i crave a hearty mac made with some hidden veggies blended in like this one. whatever the vibe, there is a mac for that.
Hidden Veggie Mac
serves 4-6 and the prep / cook time is about an hour.
Ingredients
2 tbsp - grapeseed oil for sautéing
1 cup - roasted sweet potato
1/2 cup - roasted yellow onion ( I just used half an onion )
1 cup - soaked cashews
2 tbsp - chopped garlic
1/4 cup - fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup - veg stock
1 cup - canned coconut milk
1/4 cup - tapioca starch slurry ( 1/4 cup cold water with 1 tbsp tapioca starch )
4 tbsp - nutritional yeast
½ tsp - onion powder
½ tsp - garlic powder
1 tbsp - salt
1/4 tsp - smoked paprika
1 cup - pasta water ( used at the end to achieve desired texture )
4 cups - cavatappi pasta
1 tbsp - vegan butter
What you will need :
a strong blender like a Vitamix or Nutribullet
a large pot for boiling pasta
measuring cups + spoons
spoon or spatula for sautéing + stirring
Instructions
Step 1 - Blend the cashews and make the sauce
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! Take this moment to gather everything. If you don’t have time to soak your cashews over night you can boil them for 30 minutes.
For the sweet potato, peel the skin and cut into cubes and add to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper along with half of an onion that has been cut in half. Smother the sweet potato and onion in some grapeseed oil along with some salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until the sweet potato chunks have developed some color and are cooked through.
Once everything is ready, throw all your ingredients in a Vitamix or little bullet blender. At the end blend in your slurry while the mixture is still hot so it can all emulsify and thicken.
Step 2 - Boil pasta + cook in sauce
In a large pot of salted water boil your pasta for 6-7 minutes and then reserve a cup of starchy pasta water before straining out all the water. Pour the cheese sauce in the same pot the pasta was boiled in and bring it up to a low medium heat before plopping in the strained pasta. Give this all a good stir to incorporate the sauce and pasta together while allowing the pasta to cook a tiny bit more within the sauce. Use the pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce to your liking. At the end I like to add in a tablespoons worth of cold vegan butter and stir it in to sort of emulsify and bring everything together nicely.
To serve, scoop the pasta and sauce using a large spoon into some bowls and enjoy right away. Save the left overs in an air tight, food safe container.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3