Description
This creamy and delicious oil free Vegan Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese is brimming with bold jalapeño popper flavors, but in cheesy pasta form.
Ingredients
Scale
Boil Ingredients:
- 1 – [ 14.4 oz. bag ] frozen cauliflower florets *
- 3 cups Russet potatoes, peeled, small dice
- 1/8 cup (raw) cashews *
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup unsweetened plain plant milk
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth *
- ¾ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ume plum vinegar *
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce *
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard *
- 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari *
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast (+/-)
Sauce Herb/Spice Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground mustard powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Other Ingredients
- 12 to 14 oz. elbow macaroni (or pasta of choice)
- ½ cup pickled jalapeno peppers, fine chop *
Crumb Topping Ingredients:
- ½ cup panko crumbs *
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Topping Ingredients:
- ½ cup pickled jalapeno peppers *
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Cook macaroni according to package directions to al dente, drain, rinse with cold water to remove any excess starch, shake well, set aside.
- Place the frozen cauliflower florets, diced potatoes, and cashews into a medium stockpot, bring to a boil, gently boil until fork tender (about 10 to 15 minutes). Drain off the water, then place them in a high-speed blender.
- In the meantime, place the Crumb Topping Ingredients into a small bowl, mix well set aside.
- Add all the Sauce Ingredients and Spice/Herb Ingredients into the high-speed blender with the cooked cauliflower, potatoes, and cashews. Blend on high until smooth and emulsified.
- Place the cooked pasta and chopped jalapeno peppers into a large bowl and pour the sauce over top, mix well to combine.Then place the mixture into a casserole pan, sprinkle the Crumb Topping over top and dot with pickled jalapenos. Place into a preheated 350 F oven, center rack, for 15 minutes.
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.
*Serving: 4 to 5