WFU Recipe: Macaroni & Cheese

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Macaroni

and Cheese

A What Feeds Us Recipe

If you’re looking for a comfort dish for the upcoming rainy days, give our What Feeds Us group’s macaroni and cheese recipe a try! Included is an alternative all-purpose vegan cheese sauce.

Macaroni & Cheese

*With Vegan Cheese Sauce Alternative

Prep Time

5 Mins

Cook Time

1 Hour

Serving Size

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of pasta - Any kind of Wheat or Gluten-Free pasta you like. Smaller noodles like macaroni, spirals, twists, shells, tubes are best.

Sauce Ingredients

  • ½ TBSP oil 

  • 3 TBSP butter 

  • 3 TBSP flour 

  • 1.5 cups milk or milk alternative (creamier the better. Skim won’t be tasty)  

  • ½ cup heavy cream (whipping cream, sour cream, yogurt or creamy soup-like celery or mushroom will also work in a pinch) 

  • 3 cups of cheddar cheese (stronger flavour works better) - Getting block and grating it will give better results than pre-grated kind. Can also mix a few flavours of cheese if want... like cheddar and mozzarella, cheddar gruyere, etc.  

Topping Ingredients (Optional)

  • ¾ cup bread crumbs (optional)

  • 2 TBSP butter or ghee, melted

  • 1/8 tsp paprika

Cooking Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large baking dish and set it aside. Put shredded cheese(s) in a large bowl and set aside. 

  2. Cook the pasta al dente (slightly undercooked and still a little hard). Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl. 

  3. Drizzle pasta with oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce. 

  4. Melt butter in a saucepan or pot.  

  5. Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden. 

  6. Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste.

  7. Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. The sauce should be nice and thick. 

  8. Pour over the cooled pasta and mix until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce. 

  9. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then the remaining mac and cheese. 

  10. In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Alternative All-Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce

This Sauce can be made for noodles, veggies or nachos. You can add sauce to cooked noodles and eat as-is, or you can then bake the noodles like in the previous recipe to get the crispy top.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (35 g) raw cashews, soaked overnight* 

  • 1 1/4 cups (190 g) peeled and finely diced yellow or red potatoes 

  • 1/2 cup (60 g) peeled and finely diced carrots 

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons (8 to 11 g) nutritional yeast, to taste 

  • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) oil 

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (37.5 mL) water 

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) fresh lemon juice 

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste 

  • 1 medium (4 g) garlic clove, peeled 

  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar, to taste (or can use another vinegar you have like apple cider, white or red wine)  

  • Sriracha or other hot sauce, to taste (optional) 

Directions*

  1. Soak the cashews in a bowl of water overnight. Drain and rinse. (For a quick-soak method, bring a small pot of water to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the cashews to the hot water and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain and rinse.)  

  2. Add potatoes and carrots to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain. Alternatively, you can steam the veggies until cooked through. 

  3. Add all ingredients except hot sauce to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  If the mixture is too thick, a splash of water or oil can help it along. Sample the sauce and adjust seasonings as desired. Add Sriracha (or other hot sauce) as preferred, if you’d like to give the cheese a spicy kick! The sauce will keep for up to one week refrigerated in an airtight container. 

WFU RecipeAshleigh ImberyComment