The first day of fall is right around the corner and what better way to kick it off than with one of my favorite comfort foods…mac and cheese. Mac and cheese was arguably one of my favorite side dishes as a kid. My mom made it sometimes for Sunday dinner and it was a staple at holiday dinners. I would watch her shred the blocks of cheddar cheese by hand and mix it with macaroni noodles, eggs, milk, butter, and seasonings before baking it in the oven.
One thing I love to do is make vegan versions of some of my childhood favorite foods. I can closely replicate my mom’s mac and cheese by using vegan cheeses and making a few other adjustments. Get ready for some ooey, gooey, cheesy goodness!
Start by cooking the macaroni noodles according to the package instructions. Cook the noodles until they’re al dente then rinse them in cool water so the noodles don’t clump and stick together.
Start making the cheese sauce by adding the milk, cream cheese, and 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese to a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir this until all the cheeses have melted then add in the seasonings and stir. Add in the cooked macaroni and stir until all the noodles are coated.
Grease a casserole dish with vegan butter or a neutral oil like avocado oil and pour the noodles in the casserole dish. Then evenly spread the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top before baking in the oven. Before I remove the mac and cheese from the oven I like to broil it for a few minutes just to brown the top. It gives that top layer of the mac and cheese a crispy texture that balances out the creamy texture underneath.
Vegan Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 cp. Macaroni cooked
- 2 cp. Vegan cream cheese divided
- 2 cp. Vegan cheese shreds cheddar, colby, and/or mozzarella
- 1 cp. Plant-based milk
- 2 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. Smoked paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Cook macaroni according to package instructions.
- Add milk, 1 1/2 cp. of the shredded cheese, and the cream cheese to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Stir until cheeses have melted.
- Add in the seasonings and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add the cooked macaroni noodles to the pot and stir until well combined.
- Grease a 8×8 casserole dish with vegan butter or neutral oil and pour macaroni into the casserole dish. Evenly spread the remaining 1/2 cp. of shredded cheese on top and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
- Set the oven to broil and broil for 2-3 mintues until the top has browned.
- Enjoy!
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