This Vegan Mac and Cheese is as simple as it gets! Al dente pasta tossed with a homemade vegan cheese sauce made from healthy, whole food ingredients. Have it ready in just over 30 minutes to pair with your favorite sides and vegan BBQ recipes!
½ cupof raw cashews(soaked for 1-5 hours and drained)
2teaspoonsof salt
½ teaspoonof garlic minced
2tablespoonsof olive oil
½ teaspoonof dijon mustard
2tablespoonsof lemon juice
½ teaspoonof black pepper
½ teaspoonof smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, add the shallots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onion, and water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
Place the cashews, salt, garlic, oil, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne in a blender or food processor. Add the softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender or food processor and process until perfectly smooth.
Pour the vegan cheese sauce over the cooked pasta or whatever.
Notes
Experiment with spices. Try adding mustard powder, turmeric, additional cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, or chili powder for extra flavor.
Use a good blender. A food processor may work in a pinch, but it will likely not be able to blend the cashews completely smooth.
Soak the cashews. High-speed blenders like Vitamix or Blendtec are capable of blending raw cashews into a smooth sauce. If you are working with a high-speed blender that isn't quite as strong, soak the cashews overnight or in boiling hot water for 30 minutes.