Vegan Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow or red potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 shallot
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 cups water
• 1 lb of pasta/noodles of choice (whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa)
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 TBS vegan butter
• Optional toppings: fresh parsley, truffle oil, hot sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop the potatoes, carrot, shallot & onion and add to large saute pan with the 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. While the veggies simmer, cook the pasta according to box directions, but just a couple minutes less than normal to keep them al dente since they'll also cook in the oven.
4. Once the veggies are done, but the pasta is still cooking, you can make the cheese sauce in a high speed blender. Add to the blender the cashews, pepper, garlic, lemon juice, salt, mustard, cayenne, then carefully add to the blender all the cooked veggies including the cooking water. Blend until well combined.
5. Drain pasta and pour in a greased baking dish (just spray the baking dish first with EVOO spray). Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well to combine.
6. In a small bowl, melt the vegan butter in the microwave for a few seconds, then toss with the breadcrumbs until combined. Pour this over the mac & cheese.
7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Optional toppers would be fresh parsley, hot sauce or truffle oil. Enjoy!