Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
Evann RyanThis healthy, creamy, classic vegan baked mac & cheese is actually made without the use of vegan cheese at all. While I do love (some) vegan cheeses it's not always the healthiest alternative. So this baked mac is lighter than you might expect, but still equally delicious and will definitely give you a boost in energy rather than a dip in energy post meal.
The recipe actually comes from my first ever ebook "High Protein Vegan Dinner" which is a part of the Bundle if you have that! It's near the end of the ebook and I haven't revisited this recipe in forever so it was fun to utilize one of my cookbooks and just follow along rather then create from scratch today.
If you want to add some vegan cheese to this baked vegan mac and cheese to make it extra decadent you could definitely do that! I would suggest adding it when you add the soy milk and spices to the butter and flour roux. If you try this you'll probably need more milk as well so add in 1/4 cup extra as needed to get a smooth cheese sauce.
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Why You'll Love This Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
Although this is a vegan baked mac and cheese, you're actually not going to use any vegan cheeses. To keep this healthier and less processed we're cheese-ing it up with nutritional yeast and a simple butter and flour roux.
This vegan baked mac and cheese is high in protein because we're using chickpea pasta in place of regular wheat noodles. Making it a complete meal.
Naturally dairy free and easy to make gluten free.
While this vegan baked mac and cheese is a total comfort meal, it won't leave you weighed down thanks to the simple ingredients.
What You'll Need To Make This Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
- Chickpea pasta or any preferred legume pasta. This adds protein and fibre making the vegan baked mac and cheese an easy, and complete comfort meal.
- Vegan butter. This is what you'll start your flour roux with. However you only need a few tablespoons.
- All purpose flour, either gluten free or regular.
- Soy milk for the body of the baked vegan mac and cheese sauce.
- Nutritional yeast. This adds a depth of cheese and umami flavour, which replaces the usual cheese element.
- Garlic powder, turmeric powder, onion powder, and salt to season.
- Bread. Gluten free, whole wheat, sourdough, whatever you have on hand. A great way to use up stale bread!
- Walnuts. This adds a nice crunch to the crispy vegan baked mac and cheese topping.
Substitutions
Don't care for the protein grams? Switch to whatever noodles you prefer!
Can you skip the soy milk? Yes. Just use another dairy free milk of your choosing. Although to keep the protein high consider switching to another high protein dairy free milk.
Can I add vegetables? Yes! Throw in some spinach, green peas, or your favourite mac and cheese add-ins.
Storing
This vegan baked mac and cheese recipe gives you 4-6 serving (see macro notes), so you'll likely want to store some for later. My go-to meal prep containers are these glass ones from Amazon. You can keep the vegan baked mac and cheese stored in a tightly sealed container like these in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Make it a full meal and add my Best Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe to dinner!
Please note: All macros have been calculated to the best of my ability but may vary slightly.
Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
Recipe makes 4-6 servings
Macros per serving (if dividing in 4):
614 cals - 14g fat - 87g carbs - 35g protein
Macros per serving (if dividing in 6):
405 cals - 9g fat - 58g carbs - 23g protein
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chickpea pasta, dry
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/3 cup GF flour or regular all purpose flour
- 2 cups soy milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup pasta boiling liquids
- 2 slices (80g) gluten free or regular bread, rough chopped
- 2 tbsp walnuts
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper or use a non-stick pan.
2. Bring 6 cups water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions, just prior to draining - reserve 1 cup boiling liquids, set aside.
3. While your pasta is boiling make the “cheese” sauce:
4. Over the stove bring a small pot to medium heat and add the butter, allowing to melt completely.
5. Add flour and mix well with the butter, it will be clumpy!
6. Immediately add: soy milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and turmeric powder, whisking to combine.
7. Gently bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, whisking constantly until reduced by half, it will be thick and creamy. Remove from heat.
8. Add the drained pasta back to the pot with the cheese sauce, and pasta boiling liquids. Mixing well to combine.
9. Pour prepared mac into the baking dish and smooth the top. Set aside.
10. Bread crumbs: To a food processor add - roughly chopped bread slices, onion powder, nutritional yeast, walnuts, and salt, and pulse until desired breadcrumb consistency.
11. Top the mac evenly with the bread crumb mixture.
12. Bake in the oven for 15- 20 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned and crispy.
Let us know in the comments how this recipe went for you!
