Vegan Mac'n'Cheese Casserole with Peas and Ham
Did you know that Mac 'n' Cheese isn't an American invention, but an English one? Well, we think whoever came up with the brilliant idea of combining pasta with cheese sauce and a cheesy topping deserves an award. There's nothing better than creamy pasta with lots of cheese – but this recipe takes it to a whole new level!
We're turning essential Mac 'n' Cheese into a delicious casserole you can enjoy while watching an episode of Gossip Girl, wrapped up in a cozy blanket. It's the perfect way to make those cold, rainy autumn days more bearable. The best thing about casseroles is that you can easily swap out or leave out anything you don't like. Instead of vegan bacon, you can use smoked tofu, or replace the peas with spinach, broccoli, or zucchini.
And pssst ... don't tell anyone: we're sneaking in a bit of carrot, onion, and potato into our sauce – perfect for picky eaters! The sauce gets extra cheesy thanks to nutritional yeast, which you can now find at any well-stocked supermarket or organic store. And finally, we have a great tip for how to make your cheese layer extra crispy: mix some panko breadcrumbs into the vegan shredded cheese. You can find panko at Asian markets or substitute it with regular breadcrumbs. This creates an incredibly crispy and flavorful cheese topping that you'll never want to eat any other way.
Vegan Mac n’ Cheese Casserole with Peas and Ham
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 300 g (10.5 oz) macaroni
- 200 g (7 oz) smoked tofu, vegan sausage, or vegan bacon cubes
- 150 g (5.25 oz) frozen peas
For the sauce:
- 400 g (14 oz) potatoes
- 100 g (3.5 oz) carrots
- 1 large onion
- 150 g (5.33 oz) cashews
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegan cream
- 300 ml (1.25 cups) plant-based milk
- 300 ml (1.25 cups) water
- 5 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- salt
- pepper
For the topping:
- 150 g (5.33 oz) vegan shredded cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 50 g (1.75 oz) panko (or breadcrumbs)
Instructions
Peel the potatoes, carrots, and onion, cut them into large pieces, and place them in a pot along with the cashews. Cover with water and salt well, and cook over medium heat for 15–20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Then drain.
Return the cooked vegetables, vegan cream, plant-based milk, water, and nutritional yeast to the pot and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika, then bring it to a boil while stirring.
Once the sauce is simmering, add the pasta directly into the sauce and stir. Let it simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom, until the pasta is just shy of al dente, about 1–2 minutes shorter than the package instructions. Finally, stir in the frozen peas and vegan bacon. Taste again and adjust the seasoning.
Preheat the oven to 200° C / 390° F(convection). Pour the pasta with the sauce into a casserole dish. Mix the vegan shredded cheese with oil and panko, and spread the topping evenly over the casserole. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the vegan cheese layer is melted but slightly crispy and golden brown.
