Vegan Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
by: claire cary
Easy, cheesy, but entirely dairy free, this sweet potato vegan mac and cheese is sure to be a family favorite. It's rich and creamy without feeling too heavy and perfect for meal prep! Plus, it's ready in 30 minutes and gluten free!
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6
Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato about 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups water
- 1 medium yellow or white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce/tamari
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for about 20-30 minutes while we prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Peel the sweet potato, chop into cubes and measure out about 2 cups worth.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Any pasta works here! Be sure to salt the water pretty heavily. This adds a lot of flavor to the pasta and helps the sauce adhere to it better.
- Add the sweet potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Boil for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
- Roughly chop the onion and mince the garlic. Add to a pan with the olive oil. They don't need to be perfectly chopped since they'll all get blended up anyway.
- Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions start to look translucent.
- Once the cashews have softened, add to a high speed blender with 2 cups of water and blend until completely smooth and creamy, about 1 full minute.
- Add in the onion/garlic and the drained sweet potatoes once they are done.
- Add in all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add any additional salt, pepper or other seasonings as desired. I usually start with 1/2 tsp of salt but end up adding an additional 1/2 tsp since the salt somehow enhances the cheesy flavor!
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
- Top with red pepper flakes, chopped chives & enjoy!
Notes
I know soy sauce seems like an odd ingredient for mac and cheese, but it adds a really nice savory flavor and a touch more saltiness. I promise it's delicious!
If you don't have sweet potato, you can sub for butternut squash or pumpkin! This will change the flavor slightly, but will still be delicious.
Serving: 1/4 of the recipe / Calories: 479kcal / Carbohydrates: 65g / Protein: 15.3g / Fat: 14.3g / Fiber: 4.8g / Sugar: 4.9g
