Classic Baked Vegan Mac 'N' Cheese
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Recipe type: vegan
Cuisine: holidays
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8 servings
 
This Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese is THE BEST mac and cheese I’ve had (vegan or not) – with a delicious 3-cheese vegan cream sauce and golden-brown crust, dare I say this mac and cheese recipe will blow all the others out of the water! This one’s perfect for the holidays, and I promise you … if you don’t tell anyone it’s vegan, no one will know!
Ingredients
  • • 1-pound short, dried noodles of choice (I like corkscrew)
  • • 5 cups assorted vegan cheese shreds or blocks, shredded (I use cheddar, Colby jack, and mozzarella), divided
  • • ½ cup vegan butter
  • • 12 cloves fresh minced garlic
  • • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • • 5 cups unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk, preferably extra creamy, room temperature
  • • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
  • • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • • Fresh minced parsley, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400° F
  2. Cook the noodles in a large pot of salted water, until just barely tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, place the cheeses in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Remove 1 cup of the shredded cheese blend and set aside to reserve for the topping.
  4. In the same pot you boiled the noodles in, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2 minutes then slowly whisk in the milk until there are no clumps and the sauce is nice and thick – it should be able to coat the back of a spoon. Working in batches, add the cheese to the pot, stirring to combine.
  5. Once the cheese is added and mostly melted through, season with the mustard powder, smoked paprika, pepper, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly fold in the noodles, ensuring they’re thoroughly coated in the cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  6. Transfer the mac and cheese to a prepared 9x13-inch baking dish and top it with the reserved cup of cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake until the cheesy topping is melted, 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until golden and bubbly, another 8 to 10 minutes. If you’d like you can broil it the last minute or so.
  7. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Recipe by Eat Figs, Not Pigs at https://www.eatfigsnotpigs.com/classic-baked-vegan-mac-n-cheese/