Vegan Appalachia Macaroni and Tomatoes! Easy to prepare and incredibly versatile, this recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, and cozy gatherings, highlighting the beauty of accessible, wholesome ingredients without sacrificing  flavor.
Vegan Appalachia Macaroni and Tomatoes is a humble, hearty dish that comes together quickly for busy nights. This budget-friendly, plant-based nod to traditional mountain meals proves that serious flavor can come from simple pantry staples: tender pasta, rich tomatoes, and a cozy blend of spices that bring the Appalachians to your bowl. While it leans on whole foods and plant-based goodness, it delivers the satisfying, rib-sticking comfort of a home-cooked classic.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
We devoured this meal with that warm, lingering satisfaction you only get from a family favorite reimagined for modern, plant-powered kitchens. It’s super easy to make, incredibly budget-friendly, and utterly delicious. My grandpa grew up on Irons Mountain in Cumberland, Maryland, living with his grandparents who owned an apple orchard at the ridge’s crown. He weathered the Depression-era, and he just turned 93 last month, still cherishing simple meals like the ones his Maw (grandma) used to prepare.
Of course, bacon grease was used to flavor the original dish and coming up with a suitable Whole Food Plant Based ingredient replacement for bacon grease was challenging. It does not taste the same as the original, but Grandpa says it gives a decent nod to the original and tastes great! He loved it!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This budget-friendly Appalachia Macaroni and Tomatoes is simple and humble mountain food. The original recipe is simply macaroni, tomato juice, bacon grease, salt and pepper. This Whole Food Plant Based recipe is a nod to the original Appalachian Mountain Macaroni and Tomatoes recipe. It is a humble nod to that recipe minus the bacon grease.
- Broth: Some areas of Appalachia have more broth than others. It really is a personal preference. The areas that enjoy a lot of tomato broth will then break chunks of cornbread into the broth. My grandpa likes to eat his with the cornbread on the side and didn’t like lot of broth, while his Deedaw (grandpa on his mother’s side) liked lots of broth and crumbled the cornbread into the broth.
- Hot Pasta Water: The hot pasta water is simply the water that the macaroni is boiling in – see Step 1. You are pulling out 1 1/2 cups and setting it aside. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup of hot pasta water; however, when the dish is finished, you may wish to add more water if you desire more broth. Please note, if you forget to pull out some hot pasta water, don’t sweat it, regular tap water will work just fine.
- Amount of Pasta: My great grandmother’s original recipe called for 2 cups of dry (uncooked) elbow macaroni. We suggest between 1 and 2 cups uncooked. We enjoyed a total of 3 cups of cooked elbow macaroni.
- Pasta is Thirsty: Pasta is very thirsty and will drink up a good portion of the broth as it sits. Consider this fact when determining how much pasta you wish to add.
- Herbs and Spices: You will note that this dish doesn’t have a lot of herbs and spices and that is the point. Spices were expensive. If you are pressed for more flavor, add some herbs and spices; however, we feel the simplicity of this dish is delicious all on its own.
- Elbow Macaroni Substitutions: Feel free to substitute with your favorite small-cut pasta like ditalini, etc.
- Gluten Free Pasta: If using a gluten-free pasta, it really tends to get mushy. We suggest cooking the pasta, rinsing it well and keep it separated from the broth. Then when ready to eat, place some macaroni in your soup bowl, then ladle the hot tomato broth over top. This is how most restaurants serve meals that have pasta in them. They keep the broth and pasta separated until ready to serve.
- Tahini: The tahini adds a tiny bit of fat and is used to balance the flavors.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the petite diced tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. If you prefer that tinny taste that is typically associated with canned tomatoes, feel free to leave it out or only add a pinch.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered air-tight container.
This dish freezes well; however, pasta does tend to get slightly mushy after being cooked, frozen, and reheated.
Pantry Products:
- Liquid Smoke: We used Colgin Natural Hickory Liquid Smoke. Feel free to use your favorite liquid smoke.
- Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos. We recommend using reduced-sodium products.
- Tahini: We used Ziyad Premium Tahini (Sesame Paste). Feel free to use your favorite brand of tahini.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.Â
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large stock pot (for boiling the pasta)
- Large stock pot (for cooking the dish)
If you try this easy and tasty dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Vegan Appalachia Macaroni and Tomatoes
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 5 ½ Cups 1x
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Appalachian Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan Appalachia Macaroni and Tomatoes is a humble, hearty dish that comes together quickly for busy nights.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 – [ 28 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- ¾ cup hot pasta water *
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda *
Vegan Bacon Flavor Ingredients:
- ½ to 1 ½ teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari *
- ½ teaspoon hickory-flavored liquid smoke *
- ½ teaspoon tahini (+/-) *
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (+/-)
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (+/-)
- ¼ to ¾ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- Pinch to ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Other Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni *
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain through a colander/strainer and rinse well with cold water to remove all excess starches, set aside to drain. Important Note: When the pasta is almost done, remove about 1 ½ cups of pasta water, set aside. You may not use the full 1 ½ cups.
- In a large stock pot, add the petite diced tomatoes and ¾ cup of the hot pasta water. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Add the baking soda, stir well.
- Add all the Vegan Bacon Flavor Ingredients, stir well, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the cooked elbow macaroni. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.  Â
Servings: 4 (makes 5 ½ cups)
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