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Vegan Primavera Mac & Cheese Recipe

This cheesy vegan mac is perfect for the holiday season. Enjoy as a side, or garnish with all the toppings for a festive entree.

Mac & Cheese
Recipe

This cheesy vegan mac is perfect for the holiday season. Enjoy as a side, or garnish with all the toppings for a festive entree.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • ½ cup unsalted raw cashews
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 Tbsp white miso paste
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Salt, to taste
  • Ground black pepper, to taste

Pasta and Vegetables

  • 16 ounces tricolor rotini, or other small pasta
  • 2 cups small broccoli florets
  • 3 scallions, white and green parts, minced
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach, arugula, or watercress
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
  • ¼ cup roasted hulled sunflower seeds, for garnish (optional)
  • Handful small basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. To make the sauce: In a saucepan, combine the potato, carrot, garlic, and cashews with enough water to cover. Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water. Drain, then transfer the cooked vegetables and cashews to a high-speed blender along with the reserved cooking water.
  2. Add the nutritional yeast, olive oil, paprika, miso, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside.
  3. To make the pasta and vegetables: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. About 5 minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli to the pot. Drain the pasta and broccoli, and return to the pot.
  4. Place the pot over low heat and add the scallions, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. Toss to combine.
  5. Pour the sauce over the past and vegetables. Toss to combine, and heat through. Transfer to a large serving dish. Serve hot. Garnish, as desired, with sunflower seeds and basil.

Recipe from Vegan Mac & Cheese: More Than 50 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food. 2019 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Text © 2019 Robin Robertson. Photography: Jack Adams Photography.

Robin Robertson

Robin Robertson

Robin Robertson is a veteran restaurant chef, cooking teacher, and acclaimed writer. She pens a regular column for VegNews magazine and has written for Vegetarian Times, Health Naturally, Restaurant Business, National Culinary Review, American Culinary Federation magazine, and Better Nutrition. She has written numerous cookbooks, including the best-selling titles Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker, Vegan Planet, Vegan on the Cheap, and Quick-Fix Vegan. Robertson currently writes, promotes her books, and teaches classes on her innovative vegan cuisine from her home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Her website is robinrobertson.com.

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