The ultimate comfort food recipe made vegan AND healthy! This healthy vegan Mac and Cheese is made from scratch with only plant-based and whole food ingredients. Its amazing cheesy sauce is so creamy, rich and flavorful that you will never believe it’s completely oil free and mostly made of veggies! Easy to prepare and ready in less than 30 minutes, it’s the PERFECT dish for a cosy and delicious dinner at home.

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Cette recette est sponsorisée par KORO, une boutique en ligne qui propose un large choix de produits sains, responsables et de haute qualité à prix juste. Pour découvrir la marque et ses merveilleux produits, rendez-vous sur leur boutique et profitez de 5% DE REDUCTION avec le code ALICE5.

Healthy vegan Mac and cheese

Who doesn’t love Mac and Cheese? It’s a classic comfort food recipe – as well as my favorite dish.

The traditional Mac and Cheese recipe is made with many dairy products, like cream, butter and lots of cheese obviously, and is very heavy and high in fat. With this recipe, I wanted to propose a plant based and healthier alternative, so that you can enjoy your favorite comfort food on a daily basis but without compromising the flavors. Sounds great, isn’t it?

This healthy vegan Mac and Cheese recipe is ways much lighter than the original one. It is completely oil-free and mostly made of veggies and nuts instead of cheese and butter. While it doesn’t taste like regular Mac and Cheese, it is still really delicious, rich, satisfying AND you can have second helpings.

The vegan cheese sauce is made from scratch with boiled potatoes and carrots, raw cashew nuts, onion, garlic, nutritional yeast and spices. When boiled and mix, the starch naturally contained in the potato is released and acts like a binder for a thick and creamy sauce. The cashew nuts add some natural good fats and even more creaminess to the sauce.

But as its name suggests, a good Mac and Cheese should taste like cheese. That’s where the nutritional yeast really comes in! I would even say this is the most important ingredient to give the sauce this amazing and oh so good cheesy flavor.

How to make vegan Mac and cheese

This healthy vegan Mac and Cheese recipe is very quick and simple to make with only easy-to-get ingredients.

• Soak the cashews in hot water for at least 20 minutes. This step is very important as it will soften the cashews before blending, for a perfectly creamy sauce.
• Peel, dice and boil the potatoes and carrot in a large pot of boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes. The veggies must be very soft and tender. Then drain and keep warm.
• While the veggies are cooking, start to cook your pasta to save time. Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the package directions. For best results and to avoid the pasta to break when mixed with the sauce, I recommend to under-cook the pasta of 1 minute.
• Peel, mince and sauté the onion and garlic in a pan with a little water for 2 minutes. They are ready when the onion is translucide and smell good.
• Once all the veggies are cooked, place all the vegan cheese sauce ingredients in a blender or a food processor, and mix until perfectly smooth and creamy. If necessary, and depending on your taste, add a little more milk for a runnier sauce.
• Finally pour the cheesy sauce into the pot of pasta and stir gently. Serve hot with a sprinkle of chili flakes.

If you prefer your Mac and Cheese baked, simply place the pasta in a baking dish and pour the cheesy sauce on top. Optionally you can garnish with grated vegan cheese for an extra indulgence. Then bake for about 20 minutes at 350F, until the top is golden.

How to serve this vegan Mac and Cheese

This healthy vegan Mac and Cheese is already a complete and balanced dish on its own as it is packed with veggies, contains nuts and pastas.

To make it even more yummy and nutrient rich, you can fold in other ingredients like greens (I love small broccoli florets, kale, spinach or green peas), marinated tempeh, coconut bacon or fresh herbs. Serve your healthy vegan Mac and Cheese with a side of mixed salad or boiled veggies.

To make this recipe low-carb, you can also replace the pasta for zucchini noodles! To do so, use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles or use a regular peeler to make zucchini ribbons if you don’t have. Then simply mix in the cheesy sauce, and you have a delicious and super healthy Mac and Cheese!

You might also love these recipes:

• Vegan Cheesy Broccoli bacon salad, the best way to eat your greens
• 1-bowl Tofu Thai rice paper rolls, GF fresh and full of flavors
• Vegan Black bean Burger, because we always love a good burger
• Butternut Quinoa salad with peanut dressing, a Fall favorite
• Wild garlic Pesto Pasta, a delicious traditional pesto dish
• Warming Butternut Soup, sweet, creamy and earthy

I love to see your creations! Don’t forget to tag me @alicepages on your photos on Instagram and give your feedback in the comments below if you make this recipe at home! Your opinion is my best reward.

Oil-free Healthy Vegan Mac and Cheese

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• Author: Alice Pagès
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Main dish
• Method: Oven

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Description

The ultimate comfort food made healthy! This healthy vegan Mac and Cheese is made from scratch with simple plant-based whole-food ingredients. Easy, cheesy, super creamy and ready in less than 30 minutes.

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Ingredients

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Cheesy sauce

• 2 medium potatoes (1 1/2 cup), peeled and chopped 
• 1 medium carrot (1 cup), peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup cashew nuts, I used KoRo raw cashews 
• 1 small white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast, I used KoRo nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1/4 tsp paprika powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

To serve

• 2 cup dried pasta of choice, gluten-free if needed, I used whole wheat penne pastas
• A pinch of chili flakes 

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Instructions

1. Soak cashews in hot water for 20 minutes until they are soft. Then rinse and drain.
2. Peel and cut the potatoes and carrot in medium cubes and cook in a large pot of boiling water for about 15-20 minutes until soft. Discard the water and set aside.
3. In the meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water according to the packaging directions. Drain and keep warm.
4. Peel and mince the onion and garlic. Add to a pan with a splash of water and sauté for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat until translucent. 
5. Once everything is cooked, place all the cheesy sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until perfectly smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more almond milk until you get the desired consistency.
6. Mix the hot cooked pasta with the cheesy sauce in the pot and serve immediately with a pinch of chili flakes on top. 
7. Keep any leftovers in an air thigh container in fridge for up to 3 days. For better conservation, store the pastas and the cheesy sauce separately.

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Notes

1. You can use any kind of pasta of your choice, but penne and elbow macaroni are the most popular for this dish. If necessary, use gluten-free pasta.
2. For best results and to avoid the pasta to break when mixed with the sauce, I recommend to under-cook the pasta of 1 minute.
3. To reheat the cheesy sauce, add a splash of almond milk and stir if the sauce has thickened. Then place in a small pot and heat on low for a few minutes.
4. For a baked Mac and Cheese, place the pasta in a baking dish and pour the cheesy sauce on top (optionally garnish with grated vegan cheese). Then bake for about 20 minutes at 350F, until the top is golden.

Recette version française

Mac and Cheese vegan allégé

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• Author: Alice Pagès
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 portions 1x
• Category: plat principal
• Method: four

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Description

Le plat réconfortant par excellence revisité en version saine et 100% végétale! Ce Mac and Cheese ultra crémeux et gourmand est simple et rapide à réaliser. Sa sauce “cheesy” onctueuse est composée de légumes et sans huile.

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Ingredients

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Sauce Mac and Cheese

• 2 pommes de terre moyennes (environ 220g)
• 1 carotte moyenne (environ 125g)
• 50 g de noix de cajou, j’ai utilisé les noix de cajou crues KoRo
• 1 petit oignon blanc
• 1 gousse d’ail
• 100g de lait d’amande nature
• 1 c. à s. de vinaigre de cidre
• 20g de levure diététique, j’ai utilisé la levure en paillette KoRo
• 20g de moutarde
• 1/2 c. à c. de paprika en poudre
• 1/4 c. à c. de noix de muscade en poudre
• 1/4 c. à c. de poivre blanc
• 1 pincée de sel

Pour servir

• 200g de pâtes sèches au choix, au besoin sans gluten. J’ai utilisé des pennes au blé complet.
• Une pincée de piment concassé

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Instructions

1. Faire tremper les noix de cajou dans de l’eau chaude pendant 20 minutes afin de les attendrir. Puis les rincer abondamment sous l’eau et les égoutter.
2. Eplucher les pommes de terre et la carotte et les découper en cubes de taille moyenne. Cuire les légumes dans un grand volume d’eau bouillante pendant 15 à 20 minutes jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient bien tendres. Jeter l’eau et réserver au chaud.
3. Pendant ce temps, faire cuire les pâtes selon les instructions du paquet. Puis égoutter et réserver les pâtes au chaud dans leur casserole. 
4. Eplucher et émincer l’oignon et l’ail. Les faire revenir dans une poêle avec un petit fond d’eau, à feu vif pendant 2 minutes jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient translucides et odorants. 
5. Une fois que tous les légumes sont cuits, placer tous les ingrédients pour la sauce dans un blender et mixer jusqu’à obtenir une sauce parfaitement lisse et onctueuse. Si la sauce est trop épaisse, ajouter un peu de lait d’amande jusqu’à obtenir la consistence désirée.
6. Verser la sauce directement dans les pâtes et mélanger délicatement. Servir le Mac and Cheese bien chaud avec une pincée de piments concassés.
7. Conserver les restes dans une boite hermétique au frais pendant 3 jours. Pour une conservation optimale, stocker les pâtes et la sauce séparément.

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Notes

1. Vous pouvez utiliser n’importe quelle variété de pâte dans cette recette. Les plus communes sont les penne et les macaroni. Si besoin, utilisez des pâtes sans gluten.
2. Pour éviter que les pâtes ne s’écrasent lorsqu’elles sont mélangées à la sauce, préférez une cuisson “al dente” des pâtes. Pour cela, réduisez de 1 minute le temps de cuisson recommandé. 
3. Avant de réchauffer la sauce, ajoutez un peu de lait d’amande et mélangez pour la fluidifier. Puis réchauffez la sauce dans une petite casserole, quelques minutes à feu doux.
4. Pour un Mac and Cheese gratiné, verser les pâtes et la sauce dans un plat de cuisson et garnir de fromage vegan. Enfourner pendant environ 20 minutes à 180°C jusqu’à ce que le dessus soit doré.