Triple Threat Vegan Mac n Cheese

I have made several variations of vegan mac n cheese (there are several other recipes on my blog if you search for them!), but this one is particularly quick and easy and at the moment is my FAVORITE! By adding three variations of plant based cheeses (cashew cheese sauce + vegan mozzerella + pepita parmesan) we get a very strong "cheezy" flavor that is rich but also wholesome and dairy-free! I ate leftovers of this for breakfast yesterday because I just didn't want to wait until lunch! I know the photo isn't the prettiest.. I used a veggie pasta mix that didn't have the best shape for aesthetics, but I promise it's delicious! You can use any type of pasta for this recipe :)




Ingredients:

For cashew cheese sauce (Recipe taken from This Cheese Is Nuts):

2 cups of raw cashews, (pre-soaking is encouraged but optional if you don't have time!)
2 tablespoons chickpea miso paste
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup boiling water, and more as needed

Other components of recipe:

1 package of pasta, any shape

Shredded vegan mozzarella (can buy pre-packaged, I grabbed some from Aldi but there are many brands available!)

Pepita Parmesan

Optional- if you feel the need to be extra healthy add in some shreds of steamed kale, broccoli or peas!


Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

Blend all of the ingredients for the cashew cheese together in a blender until smooth. Add more boiling water if a thinner consistency sauce is desired. (Pre-soaking your cashews in water overnight will make them blend better resulting in a smoother sauce, but I find that this step isn't necessary for delicious "cheese" sauce!)

Add the pasta to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese sauce until all the pasta is fully drenched and covered well. Extra sauce (if any) can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days and be used for something later on. While the pasta is hot, add in some vegan mozzarella cheese (as much or as little as you want) and mix to fully incorporate. The shreds should melt from the heat of the freshly cooked pasta and the warm sauce. You can continue to add more until desired cheesiness is obtained.

Top with your homemade parmesan and serve! Enjoy :)