Ultimate Vegan Mac & Cheese Recipe

There’s something about creamy, cheesy pasta that just works. Mac & Cheese is perhaps the perfect example of this, and that’s why it’s become a vegan street food classic all over the world.

Serves

4–6

Ingredients

300g macaroni
750ml unsweetened almond milk
50g cashew nuts
40ml olive oil
1 garlic clove
40g flour
100g vegan cheese
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp Dijon mustard
50g fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat grill to high. Put a large saucepan of salted water on a high heat and bring to the boil. Add the macaroni and cook for 1 minute less than stated on the packet instructions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, make the nut milk mixture. Put the almond milk and cashews into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Transfer the mixture to a Nutribullet or other power blender and blitz until smooth.

3. Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Peel the garlic and grate it straight into the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until just starting to brown. Add the flour to the pan and whisk until it combines with the garlicky oil to make a paste. Cook for 1 minute and then reduce the heat to low.

4. Slowly pour in a little of the nut milk mixture and whisk until completely combined. Keep adding more, little by little, whisking until all the nut milk is incorporated. Cook for 2 minutes.

5. Grate the vegan cheese. Add the nutritional yeast, mustard and cheese to the pan and stir to mix, adding a splash more almond milk if the mixture is too thick. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.

6. Drain the cooked macaroni. Take the pan of sauce off the heat and tip in the drained pasta. Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce.

7. Put the breadcrumbs, olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper into a bowl and stir to mix. Scatter the crumbs over the pasta. Place the pan under the grill and cook for 2–3 minutes, keeping a close eye on it, until the topping is crispy. Serve.

Speedy BOSH! by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby is out now (HQ, HarperCollins). Food photography by Lizzie Mayson.

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