Classic Baked Mac and Cheese
This Classic Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese is THE BEST mac and cheese I’ve had – 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), at room temperature, divided,
- 10 tablespoons vegan butter
- 12 cloves fresh minced garlic
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 5 cups unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk, preferably extra creamy, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
- 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 flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, mustard powder, smoked paprika and nutmeg, and whisk to combine.
- 5. Cook for 1 to 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.
- 6. Working in batches, add the 4 cups of cheese to the pot, stirring to combine.
- 7. Once the cheese is added and mostly melted through, season with the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- 8. Slowly fold in the noodles, ensuring they’re thoroughly coated in the cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- 9. Transfer the mac and cheese to a prepared 9x13-inch baking dish and top with the reserved cup of cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake until the cheesy topping is melted, 20 to 25 minutes.
- 10. Remove the foil and continue to bake until golden and bubbly, another 10 to 15 minutes. If you’d like you can broil it the last 2 to 3 minutes or so.
- 11. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Video
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