ooey gooey baked mac n’ cheese + fresh herb breadcrumbs

Everyone loves macaroni and cheese.

This is indisputable.

There is truly nothing more comforting than digging into an ooey gooey bowl of al dente noodles covered in melty, stretchy cheese. Nothing.

I hear it all the time: ‘I could become vegetarian, easy. But cheese… I love my cheese.’

(Sidenote: I encourage every dairy consumer – do your research! If you can stomach the truth, read peta.org’s rundown of the dairy industry, watch documentaries, read articles and books like The China Study, and listen to doctors and activists like Dr. Michael Greger and Gary Yourofsky.)

FEAR NOT, fellow addicts!

I’ve got you covered.

*cue the angels singing*

This ‘un-recipe’ (I am super indulgent when it comes to garlic, spices, and heat. Season to your liking!) encorporates both homemade and store-bought cheezy concoctions. It’s adapted from one of my all-time favourites, Audrey’s Deluxe Mac n’ Cheese by Rebar Modern Food.

I used to spend a fortune on expensive cheeses and pine nuts for this dish. Truly, this vegan version is just as delish; if not, better. The potato-based sauce is super creamy – once you season it with ‘cheesy’ nutritional yeast, fold it into noodles with sharp monteray jack, and top it with herb-intense breadcrumbs… epicness.

Baked Macaroni with Fresh Herb Breadcrumbs

Ingredients:

Pasta
~4 red/yellow potatoes
1 large carrot
1 large onion wedge
1/2 c. raw cashews (soaked) *can skip these if you have a nut allergy!
1 1/2 – 2 c. liquid (plant milk, veg water/stock)
Bread for crumbs
Vegan cheese, shredded
Garlic cloves, lemon juice, onion powder, nutritional yeast, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, salt + pepper

Cook pasta. (I used 1 pkg rice macaroni, undercooked it just a bit)
Prepare Cheezy Sauce (I used Buzzfeed’s recipe as a base, and seasoned to-taste)
– Boil potatoes, carrots, onion until soft.
– Blend softened veggies w/ nutritional yeast, almond milk, soaked cashews, veg water, lemon juice, garlic.
– Season to-taste: onion powder, paprika, cayenne, turmeric, salt + pepper.
Combine sauce with cooked noodles.
Optional: Fold-in shredded vegan cheese of your choice. (I used Daiya monterey jack + mozzarella)
Top with homemade breadcrumbs (bread, garlic, olive oil, salt + pepper, and loads of fresh rosemary and thyme). With your fingers, gently press breadcrumbs into the pasta.
Top with shredded cheese. (I used a microplane for more delicate shreds)
Bake at 350°F for ~25mins. (If the middle of the caserole isn’t warm enough, cover with foil and bake until bubbly)