Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese Recipe

A plant based, super quick & easy take on an American classic, here’s Chef Stan’s Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe, that is also nut free!

This recipe is for a quick, almost ‘no cook’, plant based cheese sauce. Can be used for a cheesy mushroom pasta, Mac ‘n’ Cheese or even risotto. For extra calcium in your diet, try blending fresh spinach into the sauce once done. 

Tip - plant based cheese sauce thickens quite a lot once cooked and cooled down. If reheating (rather than serving straight once it has been cooked), try diluting with plant milk prior to pouring over the pasta to heat up. This may require the seasoning to be adjusted with a pinch of Salt and Pepper. 

Makes around 4-5 portions

Ingredients:

• A small cauliflower head (or half a head, depending on size) 
• 1 tin of Suma Organic Cannellini Beans (or butter beans)
• 1.5 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Rapeseed Oil or Olive Oil (we used Wignalls Yallo Rapeseed Oil)
• 1 full cup of Marigold Engevita Yeast Flakes or (use as much or as little as you want, there is no wrong or right with this stuff - this is what provides the cheesy flavour
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 large garlic clove (crushed)
• Plant milk of your choice (we recommend Oatly Barista, or Sojade Unsweetened Soya)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

For the cheesy sauce:

• Remove all outer leaves of the cauliflower, separate to florets and steam. Make sure to take it out of the steamer pan while the florets still have some firmness in them. An over-steamed (or over cooked) cauliflower can taste and smell somewhat unpleasant. Set it aside
• Open and rinse the beans, set aside.
• Place all ingredients in a food processor or a high powered blender
• While blending, you might need to add plant milk to create the right consistency (so the sauce is pourable) as well as aiding your appliance with the blending process. 
• Taste and adjust seasoning with more S&P, lemon juice and / or yeast flakes. 

Turn it into  Mac ‘n’ Cheese:

• Cook desired amount of Macaroni pasta (around 75g pf dry pasta for each person), drain and place back in the pan. 
• Cover the macaroni with the desired amount of our cheese sauce (be generous, remember our tip from before). Mix well.
• Place in a lightly oiled oven proof dish and bake in the oven on 160c for about 10-15minutes or until piping hot. Serve and enjoy! 
  
  * OPTIONAL, PRIOR TO PLACING IN THE OVEN* - if you want to step it up, sprinkle a mixture of bread crumbs and grated plant based cheese of your choice on top. We recommend smoked applewood. Then add 6 thin round slices of vine tomato, a decent drizzle of rapeseed or olive oil and a little sprinkle of dried oregano. Bake in the oven as mentioned previously.