This mac and cheese is 100% vegan and so healthy! The ‘cheese’ in this recipe is a combination of roasted sweet potato, mustard, and nutritional yeast. The result is a nostalgic mac and cheese with a grown up edge and a rich, creamy, and satisfying dish! This recipe utilizes gluten-free pasta, but if that's not a concern for you, any whole-grain short chunky shaped pasta will work. Recipe and photos contributed by Sophia Zergiotis of Love and Lentils.
Ingredients
For the mac and cheese
- 2 sweet potatoes about 3 cups, cubed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 16 ounces about 500 grams elbow macaroni, gluten-free if desired
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon tamari or regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and more for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk or other non-diary milk of your choice
- A handful fresh parsley roughly chopped, for garnish
For the mushrooms
- 8 ounces mushrooms washed and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Place sweet potato cubes onto lightly oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender, turning once half way through.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return pasta to the pot.
- In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, chili flakes, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a small pan, sauté mushrooms and garlic in oil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Remove sweet potatoes from oven (don’t turn off the heat) and add sweet potatoes to the bowl with all your seasonings and almond milk. Mash well, combining all ingredients. Don’t worry if you have a few clumps. If the mixture is a little too thick, add another splash of almond milk.
- Add macaroni noodles to the bowl, and fold all ingredients together. Spoon all into a casserole dish, top with mushrooms and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over the top, and serve.
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michelle says
Instead of olive oil I'd use coconut oil as it doesn't burn at high heat
Leo says
I made this the other night, but it was a little bland tasting. Any ideas on how to make the sweet potato flavor pop or to make it taste just a little bit better? I'm new to this site and looking to change my eating habits to be more plant-based. Thank you.
Nava says
Hi Leo — this is a recipe contributed by another author, so I don't want to overstep too much — my suggestion would be to add about 3/4 cup of grated vegan cheddar, like Daiya, to give it an extra cheesy flavor. If you like spice, you might also try a little mesquite or barbecue seasoning — you can get those in the spice section of supermarkets — those are with the grilling seasonings; they'll add a nice smoky flavor. I hope that either or both of those suggestions will help, if you wish to revisit this dish!
scott rosenbaum says
made this twice now. It is yummy!!!I'd say to the bland taste season it as you like, with your favorite seasonings. But it is great as is!!Love the mushroom garnish!
Sandra says
This tasted delicious and very flavourful. I used coconut milk instead of almond milk and the whole thing came together beautifully. I skipped the chili flakes so it's toddler friendly. My daughter loved it. Best vegan Mac n Cheese I've had. I recommend using coconut milk.
vivienne Derricutt says
This was the most delicious creation ever. My friend and I are already planning Christmas variations incorporating sprouts and chestnuts. Amazing!!!
Nava says
Thank you, Vivienne! Glad you enjoyed it.
ciara says
to the dude looking for a little pop: my go to mac n chi sauce is olive oil& s+p roasted sweet potato, red pepper and cauliflower blended with nooch, dijon, tahini, lemon juice & almomd milk. onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika seal the deal. super secrt bonus : vegan parmesean. i LOVE go veggie:http://www.goveggiefoods.com/products/grated-topping/dairy-free/parmesan. yum!
Kris says
This is so good! It's somewhat sweet, which is interesting. I skipped the parsley, and next time I think I'll skip the mushrooms. They distract from the deliciousness of the mac and cheese.
Officer Hamhock says
My girlfriend made this for me & it was fantastic. I see that there is nutritional information but there is no serving size?
Nava says
Hello, it does specify 6 or more servings. Since this uses a pound of pasta, these servings would be very generous. Glad you enjoyed it!
Louise says
Can I freeze this?????
Claira Fincham says
I found the missing ingredient! 2 teaspoons of marmite!
Pam says
My family and I enjoyed this dish. To add a little spice to the dish, I added a few tablespoons of red pepper flakes to the dish. I also used 3 potatoes to add a lil thickness.This is no sub for mac n cheese but still a good casserole.
Julie says
Hi; i
im making this dish and dont know where the soy sauce is supposed to go. I assumed with the other spices but it doesnt say.
Nava says
Hi Julie, sorry for the omission — yes, add it in the order of the ingredients listed. I just made the fix though it may take a bit of time to show up on the front end of the site. Thanks for the eagle eye!
Noël says
Delicious! To make the whole process go faster I just chopped the sweet potato up into small cubes and then boiled them for about 10 minutes until they were soft. It was a big hit and it has definitely made it into my dinner arsenal!
Nava says
Thanks, Noël! Glad it was a hit with you, and thanks for the tip.