Creamy plant-based mac and cheese. This dairy-free pasta recipe tastes amazing and is a great kid friendly plant-based dinner idea. Made with whole wheat pasta and a cheese sauce full of veggies, this recipe is incredibly healthy and packed with nutrients. It is also super easy to make and works great as a side or even as the main dish.
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Mac and cheese that is plant-based, healthy, and delicious? That’s right! This recipe is great for those who may be missing that creamy mac and cheese. It is also a good plant-based option that’s kid friendly and easy to make. With most traditional boxed mac and cheese consisting of artificial colors and ingredients they are not the best option. However, this plant-based version is just as delicious but is actually healthy.
This recipe uses the cheese sauce that makes up this broccoli rice casserole recipe. It’s creamy, tasty and super versatile. The same great ingredients used to make this cheese sauce can also be found in this plant-based queso. Made with cashews, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic and nutritional yeast, it’s completely healthy. Served with whole wheat pasta, you are able to get a variety of healthy plant-based foods including vegetables, whole grains and nuts.
If you try this plant-based mac and cheese, or any other recipes, make sure to to use #pureandplantbased . Don’t forget to tag us @pureandplantbased on Instagram or Facebook!
Plant-Based Mac and Cheese
This creamy, plant-based macaroni and cheese is a delicious dairy-free dish. The 'cheese' is made using cashews and a sweet potato and is full of only healthy, whole foods. It's a great way to sneak in some extra veggies in this kid-friendly plant-based recipe. Plus, it's wfpb friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 box whole wheat macaroni
- 1 large onion
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Cook Pasta – Fill large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until soft.
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Make Cheese Sauce – Add cashews to a sauce pan. Fill with water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove from heat and let sit, (10-15 minutes). If you have a high powered blender like this vitamix, you can skip this step completely.
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Peel sweet potatoes and chop into small cubes. Add to a small pot over medium to high heat and cover with water.
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Once the water begins to boil, finely dice the onion garlic cloves and add to the pot with the sweet potato. Let boil for 25 minutes until soft.
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Once the sweet potato and onion are finished cooking, let cool. Add cashews, almond milk, (1/2 cup or more. Just make sure the cashews are covered,) nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar and salt to blender. Blend until smooth. Then, add the sweet potato, garlic and onion and blend until everything is combined.
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In a large bowl, combine cheese sauce and pasta. Add pepper and salt to taste. Serve.