Spicy Vegan Home-style Baked Mac & Cheese
Prep for 45 minutes
Bake for 35 minutes
Ready in 1 ½ hours
Serves 3-4 people
It’s Vegan! ✌🏻
Ingredients
Veggies:
- Four or Five (4-5) Medium Russet Potatoes
- Four (4) Large Carrots
- One to Three (1-3) Jalapeños
Bulk:
- Macaroni Noodles
- Veggie Broth
- Olive Oil
- Panko Bread Crumbs
Seasonings/Extras:
- Salt
- Liquid Smoke
- Minced Garlic
- Nutritional Yeast
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 400F
- Next, get your cheese sauce started by slicing up all of your potatoes and carrots into thirds & tossing ‘em into an Instant Pot*.
- Include two (2) cups of veggie broth and one half (1/2) cup of water in the Instant Pot as well, along with a few dashes of minced garlic (or garlic powder) and some salt.
- Place your Instant Pot onto the Pressure Cook setting and allow your carrots and potatoes to cook according to weight, which should be only about 20-22 minutes.
- Now, place a large pot of water onto your stove top & allow it to boil.
- While the water is reaching a boil, take a moment to small dice one to three (1-3) jalapeños (depending on how spicy you like it!) & set them aside.
- Now your water will be boiling, so add a splash of olive oil & salt into the water, and then include your macaroni noodles and cook according to the box instructions (usually about 8 minutes).
- You’ll probably have a few minutes left before your potatoes & carrots are ready, so you can get the breadcrumbs ready now.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, incorporate a cup or so of unseasoned Panko with salt, black pepper and paprika, to taste. The breadcrumb mix should taste just slightly seasoned.
- When your noodles are ready, take a moment to strain the noodles using a colander, and then allow them to cool slightly while you get the cheese sauce ready. (Note: if you want it to be a little extra superb, put a spoonful of plant-based butter onto your noodles to let melt as they cool.)
- Now, take your cooked potatoes & carrots and drain any remaining liquid from the pot, and then move them into a food processor while mashing them slightly.
- Once you have all of your cooked carrots & potatoes in the food processor, include about half a cup of veggie broth along with enough olive oil for the liquids combined to fill your container half-way. Throw in your desired amount of diced jalapeño, and blend until it becomes a thick sauce.
- Now, into your cheese sauce (which should already look amazing!) add a fair amount of: Salt, Nutritional Yeast, Garlic, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, Paprika, & liquid smoke. (to taste)
- Incorporate all the flavors into the sauce base evenly either manually by stirring or using your food processor’s pulse setting.
- In a large mixing container, use a flat mixing spatula to incorporate your cheese sauce with the noodles you had set aside. Stir this mix for just a few moments, until the sauce has fully and evenly mixed into the noodles.
- Prepare a casserole dish with nonstick spray, or another nonstick solution, and then pour your macaroni and cheese into the dish.
- If you’d like to add any extra jalapeño slices to the top of the dish for extra kick, take a moment to throw those on.
- Evenly coat the top with your Panko blend that you prepared earlier, and then cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes while covered, and then for another 10 minutes with the foil removed.
- After removing the casserole from the oven, allow it to cool for about 5-7 minutes, and then serve.
- Enjoy!
Thank you!
~ Jessica G.
