Vegan Roots

The BEST Mac N Cheese


I have tried many recipes and they have been good...but until now I had not found the best. I saw this recipe (or similar ones) about a year ago but never tried them because I just couldn't believe it would taste good. I was wrong once again!! Here is the link from Veg News Magazine.

http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?catId=10&pageId=40

What you need:

• 4 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 8 ounces macaroni (or whatever pasta you like)
• 4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
• 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup Earth Balance
• 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews (sold at TJs, WFs, sunflower etc)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

What You Do:

1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons Earth balance to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup Earth Balance, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.
5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

ps i used TJs tricolor vege radiatore not macaroni 

Of course their picture looks better than mine! I did add more pasta and next time will follow their instructions to only use 8 ounces (it will be more cheesey). However, I would add less breadcrumbs and 1/2 the lemon juice.

Perfection indeed!!!

Enjoy!

VOTES:
Adult: 2 thumbs up. Children: 4 thumbs up.