Is there anything better than good solid comfort food? In this dreary mid-winter, I’m drawn again to this casserole that my friend Corianne gave me back when I needed just to go dairy-free. The recipe is her mother’s, but it seems like food is a family affair — Corianne and her sister now run the vegan Treehouse Bakery in Phoenix (ask nicely — they do gluten-free! And if you’re in Phoenix or just a glutton for punishment, like them on Facebook to hear the list of flavors every day. Can I highly recommend the spicy chocolate cupcakes?).
Anyway, I’ve tweaked very few things over the years I’ve had this recipe, as it’s pretty much perfect. It was easy to make gluten-free with quinoa pasta.
Gluten-free, Soy-free, Vegan Cashew Mac and Cheese, courtesy of the Sizemore family
- 2 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups gluten-free macaroni (I recommend quinoa pasta)
Cook mac according to package directions, to the shorter end of the cooking time. Do not overcook! Drain. Pour into greased casserole dish.
- 1 cup raw cashew pieces
- 2 cups water
Add to food processor and process until smooth.
- 2 oz jar of pimentos
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (optional — adds a tiny bit of kick)
Add these to the cashews, and process until smooth.
Pour sauce over mac.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.
Uncover. Top with gluten-free bread crumbs, if desired (I prefer it without, personally) and bake another 15 minutes uncovered.
Enjoy. I think this is best served cold, in the morning, for breakfast, with coffee. But your mileage may vary. I think plenty of people like their mac n’ cheez hot.
- 2 cups gluten-free pasta (I prefer quinoa macaroni for this)
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup cashew pieces soaked overnight
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard optional -- adds a tiny bit of kick
Yum. I love baked mac & cheese (and agree it’s the perfect comfort food) but haven’t yet found a vegan version I like. The last one I tried was overpowered by nutritional yeast flavor, which was…not ideal. So I appreciate this one has no nooch! Plus…props for liking it cold. We made mac & cheese before Hurricane Sandy and ate it hot as the rain was starting, then ate it cold when the power went out. It was great both ways.
Molly — as long as you can have cashews, maybe this will be your hit! I love nutritional yeast in some other cheese-like dishes, but this is one of my all-time favorites. Let me know how it goes!