Description
We are bringing all that delicious Southwestern goodness in the form of creamy pasta heaven. This homemade Vegan Smoky Southwestern Mac is brimming with nourishing deliciousness. It is total Southwestern comfort food at its best! Tasty macaroni, sweet corn, vibrant red bell peppers, and hearty black beans are coated in a velvety, aromatic sauce that will have the whole family seated at the table in a flash! A mac dinner filled with all healthy, wholesome ingredients and tastes amazing, what could be better than that?!
Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened plain plant milk
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup white wine *
- ½ cup vegetable broth *
- ½ cup water (or broth)
- 1 Tablespoon white miso *
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup roasted red peppers
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- Pinch coriander
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Other Ingredients
- 10 oz. elbow macaroni (or pasta of choice)
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- ¼ cup roasted red peppers, small dice
Optional Toppings:
- Tortilla chips
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Pickled or fresh jalapeno slices
- Avocado, sliced or diced
Instructions
Pasta Boil Instructions
- Fill a large stock pot full of water. Add some sea salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil then add the pasta. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Note: You want to coordinate the completion of the pasta cooking time with the completion of the sauce. If unsure, then just wait to put the pasta into the boiling water once the sauce is done. Just turn the sauce down really low or remove from the stove. Boil the pasta until el dente, drain, rinse with cold water to remove any excess starch, shake well to remove any excess water trapped inside the elbow macaroni, then transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce in Step 6.
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, set aside for 20 minutes or boil cashews in a small pot for 10 minutes. Then drain off the water until ready to use.
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, mix, set aside.
- In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven/pot or similarly large stockpot/skillet, add the finely diced onions, sauté over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the onions are tender. (If needed to prevent sticking, add a splash of vegetable broth or water).
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute, add the Spice/Herb mix, stirring constantly for 30 seconds, just to release their fragrance. Then add in the white wine, stirring constantly to allow the alcohol to evaporate/reduce. Note: All the liquid will not evaporate. Then add the plant milk, vegetable broth, water, miso, nutritional yeast, ¼ cup roasted red peppers, and cashews, simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the stove to cool slightly.
- Place the sauce it into a high-speed blender and blend on high for one minute (or longer) to make the mixture creamy and smooth, then return to the cooking pot and simmer for 5 minutes. The sauce will still be somewhat loose but will thicken up later.
- Stir in the cooked pasta, corn, ¼ cup diced roasted red peppers, and black beans. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Remove from the heat and allow to set for 5 to 10 minutes. This will allow the sauce to tighten up.
- Serve with some freshly chopped cilantro, avocadoes, pickled jalapenos (or fresh jalapenos) and tortilla chips.
Notes
*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
*White Wine: We used Vegan Sovereign Blanc White Wine,or any vegan dry white wine will work equally well. The white wine flavor makes a difference. It totally makes this recipe by adding dimension. The alcohol burns off and you are left with this beautiful nuance of flavor. You do not have to add the white wine, you will need to slightly ramp up the flavors if you leave it out. The white wine just takes this dish to the next level of deliciousness.
*Pasta of choice: You can use your favorite pasta in this dish. We used brown rice elbow macaroni.
*Miso: We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free. Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil. You can also substitute with chickpea miso for a soy free version.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Servings: 4 – 5
Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.