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Vegan Mac n Cheese

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 6-8 oz. dry macaroni or corkscrew pasta* GF or regular
  • 100 g (~2) carrots, sliced
  • 60 g (½ C) raw cashews or 4 TBSP cashew or almond JOI*
  • ¼ C unsweetened dairy-free milk any kind
  • 36 g (¼ C) nutritional yeast
  • ½ TBSP lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • ⅛ tsp. black pepper
  • 30 g (¼ C) shredded vegan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta according to the instructions and set aside
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the carrots and cashews (if using JOI, only add the carrots), and cook for ~10-15 minutes until they’re soft and can easily be pierced with a fork
  • Drain the carrots and cashews, then transfer to a blender or food processor
  • Add all of the remaining ingredients to cooked carrots and cashews, and blend until smooth – can add extra liquid if needed to reach the desired cheese sauce consistency
  • Pour the mixture into a pot over low-medium heat (can reuse the pot used to boil the carrots and cashews), stirring consistently for a few minutes to melt any remaining cheese that wasn't fully blended – be sure to scrape the sides of the pot while stirring so the sauce doesn’t begin to cook and harden around the edges; lower the heat if needed
  • Remove the cheese sauce from the stove and combine with the cooked pasta. This can be done one of two ways: put ~12 oz. of pasta in a large bowl and mix the sauce in, adding more pasta until the desired consistency and cheesiness is reached or gradually incorporate the pasta directly into the cheese if the pot is large enough to accommodate the pasta

Notes

  • *Pasta: the exact amount depends on preference – 6 oz. (which equates to about 12 oz. of cooked pasta) for extra cheesy noodles and 8 oz. (so ~16 oz. of cooked pasta) for a thinner coating of cheese sauce. Normally I cook the entire package of pasta and gradually integrate it into the cheese sauce; sometimes they mix together so well that the cheese can be stretched for up to 20 oz. of pasta. Then any plain pasta that’s leftover usually gets paired with marinara sauce, a protein, and a generous dusting of nutritional yeast on top.
  • *JOI: between the raw cashews and JOI, there’s no difference in taste, but preparing the recipe is immensely easier and faster with JOI. An abbreviation for “Just One Ingredient”, JOI is a creamy nut base free from dairy, gluten, animal products, and gut-disrupting thickeners that are common in store-bought non-dairy milks. The almond or cashew base can be blended with water for instant homemade dairy-free milk or used in countless recipes, such as this one! My code, SU10, will save money on all orders through JOI’s website. If you choose to apply my code, know that I only partner with brands I personally use, agree with, and can recommend in good faith and I notice and deeply appreciate every single time someone chooses to support me through using my discount code.
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