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fork piercing into a generous slice of vegan mac and cheese baked with broccoli and breadcrumbs on a plate

VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE BAKED WITH BROCCOLI

So creamy, rich and flavourful, you won't even miss the cheese!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

FOR THE MAC AND CHEESE

  • 13 oz. Elbow Macaroni
  • 1 head Broccoli cut into florets
  • ¾ cup Cashews soaked 5-6 hours or overnight*
  • 1 small Onion diced
  • 1 Clove Garlic minced
  • ½ cup Nutritional Yeast
  • 1 14 oz. can Full Fat Unsweetened Coconut Milk
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
  • ½ tsp Dry Mustard Powder
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • ½ tsp Chilli Flakes
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Pepper

FOR THE CRUNCHY BREADCRUMB TOPPING

  • ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Pinch of Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Vegan Butter melted*

Instructions

  • Soak the cashews in a bowl of water for 5-6 hours or overnight. *See below if you don't have time for this step* Drain and add to the body of a food processor.
    clear bowl with cashews soaking in water
  • Add the diced onion, minced garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, spices and coconut milk. Blend until well combined. (You can add a splash of water here if you feel like the cheese sauce is a little too thick).
    base of food processor filled with coconut milk, nutritional yeast and other ingredients
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Make the breadcrumb topping: In a small bowl, add the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and melted vegan butter. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
    clear bowl of nutritional yeast and breadcrumbs with a white rubber spatula inside
  • Cook pasta according to package directions. In the last 4 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets. Drain and return to the pot.
    silver pot with elbow macaroni and broccoli florets
  • Add the cheese sauce and stir until the pasta and broccoli are nicely coated.
    silver pot of vegan mac and cheese mixed with broccoli and cheese sauce, white rubber spatula inside
  • Grease a 9x13 baking dish with some vegan butter.
    black cast iron rectangular casserole buttered
  • Spread the mac and cheese out evenly in the dish.
    black cast iron casserole dish filled with elbow macaroni, cheese sauce and broccoli florets
  • Top evenly with the breadcrumb topping.
    black cast iron casserole with vegan mac and cheese with broccoli topped with breadcrumbs
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
    black cast iron casserole dish with vegan mac and cheese baked, topped with breadcrumbs, spatula in the background on a plate next to two small dishes of fresh chopped parsley and chilli flakes

Notes

  • Prep time does not include the time it takes for the cashews to soak overnight.
  • If you don't have time to soak your cashews for 5-6 hours or overnight, you can use the quick soak method by soaking them in boiling water for 15 minutes.
  • If not vegan, you can use regular butter or ghee instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 530mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 639IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg
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