Sneaky Vegan Mac & Cheese

Sneak in some extra veggies to your creamy pasta dish

I’m always looking for ways to sneak some extra veggies into your pasta dishes. Here’s a delicious way to hide some extra veggies into your next noodle dish.

Estimated time: 45 minutes
Effort/Skill: Medium

Ingredients

454 g of your favourite pasta (red lentil fusili is my fave - extra protein)

”Cheesy” sauce
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews, boiled
1.5 cups steamed cauliflower
1-2 cups veggie broth, low sodium
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp mustard
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
Juice from one lemon
2-3 slices jalapeno pepper, if desired
Boil cashews for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Steam cauliflower. Set aside. In a blender add lemon, spices, mustard, cauliflower, cashews and gradually add veggie broth. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

Mushroom “Bacon”
2 large portobello mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 cup tamari
Preheat oven to 425F. Thinly slice mushrooms and place in a large bowl. Toss with maple syrup, tamari, spices. Add more tamari if needed. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 min or until crispy. Set aside to top pasta.

Toppings & Mix-ins
1 head of broccoli, cut and steamed
Portobello “bacon” (above)
1 jalapeno pepper
Green onions or chives for toppings
For some added fibre, toss in a handful of black beans. Use up your leftovers. Olives, sundried tomatoes. Vegan sausage goes in great too. Or some fresh basil leaves.

Make your toppings and mix-ins. Prepare the sauce,. Boil and drain pasta. Add your servings to a bowl and toss. This works great with customizing different pastas or toppings for guests. Serve warm or cool.

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