A healthy vegan version of the classic mac + cheese. This will satisfy your cheesy cravings for sure! This recipe is healthy, oil-free + salt-free.
Last week I was craaaaving mac + cheese, and although normally I make my vegan cheese sauce with vegetables, I wanted to try out a cashew nut base for a change. Needless to say it came out amazing and it definitely hit the spot! The sauce was so creamy + with little prep, it only took 15 minutes to make! I have to admit, I’d already demolished half of this recipe in a few minutes after I’d made it… I just can’t resist a healthy mac + cheese recipe.
Cashews aren’t normally on my shopping list because nuts can be quite expensive for small amounts. But I wanted to make an effort to sneak more nuts into my meals because of the health benefits. Cashews are packed full of vitamins + minerals, including iron + omega 3 fats. Not to mention, nuts are classed as an “anti-cancer” food.
Not to mention, this recipe includes 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, so if you ate a 1/3 of this recipe, you’re getting double the recommended amount of B12 you need in a day. B12 is super important to live a healthy vegan life, so if you’re not a big fan of nutritional yeast, try getting your B12 in other ways like Marmite or supplements!
Creamy Cashew Healthy Vegan Mac + Cheese (Oil-Free)
A healthy vegan version of the classic mac + cheese. This will satisfy your cheesy cravings for sure!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup water add a low sodium stock cube for extra flavour
- 1/2 white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp oregano
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Start by boiling the kettle ready to cook your pasta + soak your cashews.
- Add you pasta to a pan and while it’s cooking, start to soak the cashews in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
- Chop up your 1/2 white onion + 3 garlic cloves.
- Once your cashews have been soaked, add the cashews, onion, garlic + seasoning to a blender and blend until a smooth consistency.
- Mix the cashew cheese sauce in with the pasta. After this you can serve immediately or you can top with panko bread crumbs + bake the in the oven for 10 mins. Both taste amazing!
Notes
If you are using this recipe for meal prep or saving left overs then I recommend that you don’t bake in the oven and I also recommend adding 1-2 tbsp of plant milk when portioning your pasta into containers as this will make sure that the sauce stays nice and creamy when you come to eat it!
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 317Total Fat 22.1ggSodium 70mgmgCarbohydrates 23.6ggFiber 5.1ggSugar 3.5ggProtein 12.3gg
