Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese with Crispy Topping
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz box uncooked cellentani pasta
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup white flour
- 3 cups rice milk
- 2 cups vegan shredded cheddar cheese or use a combo of your favorites
- 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese feel free to sub homemade cashew cream (see notes)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp salt add more or less to taste
Topping
- 1 cup french fried onions
- 1/2 cup vegan Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp parsley
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cook pasta according to package.
For the cheese sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour to make a roux.
Whisk in milk slowly and simmer until thick and bubbly.
Mix in nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt.
Stir in cheese and cream cheese or cashew cream* until melted.
For the crispy topping blend french fried onions, breadcrumbs, garlic salt, and parsley in a food processor or blender.
Combine the noodles and cheese sauce and pour into an 9×13 glass pan.
Sprinkle the topping all over and cover with foil.
Bake for 15 minutes and then take the foil off. Bake for another 5 minutes uncovered.
Notes
Cashew cream recipe: Blend 1 cup soaked cashews with 1/2 cup water & 1 tsp lemon juice until completely creamy. If necessary, add a touch more water. You only need 1/2 cup of cashew cream for this recipe, so you will have some left over.
