From the founders of Vancouver’s original cold-pressed juice company, The Juice Truck, comes this plant-based version of one of our favourite comfort foods: mac and cheese. Here’s the recipe they shared with us in 2017:
The Almost Mac and Cheese
Serves four. Prep time: 15 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes plus overnight soaking.Ingredients 1 cup cashews 3 cups carrots 2 cups cubed sweet potato 2 cups diced onions 1 cup nutritional yeast 1 clove garlic 1 cup roasted garlic cloves* 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon cayenne Salt to taste 1 cup gluten-free pasta |
*To roast garlic, put peeled garlic cloves into an oven-safe container. Add enough olive oil to cover the garlic, and add some salt and thyme. Roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the garlic is golden brown. Use the oil after as a garnish, in dressings, or on toast. Roast as much garlic as you want, but make sure you cover the garlic completely with oil, otherwise it will burn. Keeps well in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Method
Soak cashews overnight in the fridge. If you forget to do this, a couple of hours will do, but they’re best soaked overnight.
In a medium pot, add carrots, sweet potato, and onions and enough water to cover. Cook until all vegetables are soft.
Add cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, roasted garlic, and all of the spices and use a hand blender on high speed until silky smooth. You can also transfer the ingredients to your blender, if you don’t have a hand blender.
Boil a gluten-free pasta or any pasta of your choice.
Serve the sauce over the pasta. We always serve just a bit of extra sauce. Sauce makes everything better.
From the Archives: This story was originally published on May 31, 2017. Try more delicious recipes.