Supergreen Vegan Mac n Cheese Bake
The CREAMIEST, most satisfying vegan mac n cheese! Spinach and broccoli add colour and nutrients to this classic American comfort food.
Servings 8 serves
Calories 529kcal
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium leek trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced (about 1 cup / 92g)
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes, then drained (226g)
- 10 cloves garlic chopped (about 28g)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast 15g
- 2½ cups unsweetened soy milk (567g)
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- ½ tsp salt 3g
- 1 cup vegetable stock low-sodium preferred (240g)
- ¼ cup vegan margarine or margarine (56g)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 30g
- 1 tsp onion powder or granulated onion
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper 1g
- 5 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped (150g)
- 1 head broccoli medium; stems diced, florets separated (about 300g total)
- 16 oz elbow macaroni cooked to package instructions (450g dry weight)
Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 50g
- ¾ cup vegan cheese shredded (85g)
- 3 tbsp hemp seeds
- ¼ cup olive oil 60g
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast 15g
- 1 tsp salt 6g
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Dice the broccoli stems and separate the florets. Boil the florets in a saucepan for 2–3 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Drain and set aside.
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt the vegan butter over medium heat. Add the leek and sauté for 2 minutes until softened. Add the chopped garlic and diced broccoli stems; cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the soaked cashews and spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted. Sprinkle in the flour, onion powder, paprika, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Stir well to coat.
- Gradually pour in the vegetable broth and soy milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add the miso paste and apple cider vinegar. Simmer for 5–10 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.
- Carefully transfer the sauce to a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. (You may need to do this in batches.)
- Return the sauce to the pot. Stir in the cooked macaroni and reserved broccoli florets. Mix well, then smooth the mixture into a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the panko, shredded vegan cheese, hemp seeds, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the pasta.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 546mg | Potassium: 864mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3034IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 5mg