Description
This Vegan White Bean Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is a great alternative to nut-based vegan cheese sauces that are typically used in vegan mac and cheese. This creamy white bean sauce is cheesy-tasting, thanks to the nutritional yeast and lemon juice, and perfect tossed with macaroni, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s great for both stovetop and baked mac and cheese!
Ingredients
Vegan White Bean “Cheese” Sauce
- 3 cups cooked white beans (navy, great northern, or cannellini all work)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 large garlic clove
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (I like Wizard’s brand)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, plus more as needed to thin
Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Couple pinches fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (oil drained off before measuring)
- 4 heaping cups broccoli florets or chopped kale (or a combination of the two)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen shelled green peas (optional)
- 1/2 cup cashew-hemp parmesan, for topping*
Pasta
- 300 grams uncooked pasta of your choice (I used macaroni, but fusilli, rigatoni, orecchiette, and rotini would also work well.)
For serving
- Fresh herbs
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- First, make the white bean cheese sauce by blending together the white beans, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, and non-dairy milk together in a blender or food processor until ultra smooth. The sauce should have a consistency similar to that of a traditional cheese sauce. If too thick, add a couple of tablespoons more non-dairy milk. (I find that a blender works best for this task, but it will work in a food processor if that’s all you have- it just won’t get quite as smooth and creamy.) Pour into a medium saucepan and warm over medium-low heat.
- Next, cook the vegetables. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, until lightly browned. Add another pinch of salt, pepper, and chili flakes, followed by the sun-dried tomatoes and broccoli or kale. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli and kale are bright green. Add the peas and cook just a couple more minutes before removing from the heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions on the package in a large pot. Drain and return to the pot. Add the vegetables to the pasta, followed by the white bean cheese sauce. Stir to combine.
- At this point, you can either serve immediately, or transfer it into a 10-inch cast iron skillet or similarly sized casserole dish, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the vegan parmesan, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes to allow the parmesan to brown and the pasta to crisp up a bit. Most recently, I baked mine, but the pasta really absorbed a lot of the sauce during baking, and I think I prefer the stovetop option. But it’s totally up to you!
- Top with vegan parmesan, fresh herbs, and hot sauce, and serve.
Notes
*To make the entire recipe nut-free, make the parmesan with raw shelled pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds in place of the cashews. Also, use nut-free plant milk, such as hemp, oat, soy, or rice.
If making ahead, I don’t recommend combining the pasta with the sauce until right before serving; otherwise, the pasta absorbs too much of the sauce and the result isn’t what we’re after.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Italian American