It is a must. It is scrumptious. This extremely creamy sweet potato and cashews vegan mac and cheese sauce is everything. I introduce you my plant-based mac and cheese recipe. And the truth is, I use to eat this plant-based sauce with a spoon too.
For this healthy mac and cheese sauce recipe, I was inspired by my raw mayonnaise made with cashews. But here I don’t soak the cashews thanks to the sweet potato you don’t need to. And it makes this pasta sauce recipe even easier. It is ready in 20 minutes as all you need to do is to steam the sweet potato and blend all the ingredients together. How convenient this is?
And this sauce is one of the creamiest I have ever done. The texture of the sauce is incredibly smooth and delicious.
What is the ingredients list?
Because it is all about mac and cheese, I have added to the sweet potato and the cashews some nutritional yeast flakes. Why? Because it adds a kind of cheesy flavor to the recipe. Kids were definitely looking to have something “cheesy”. Nutritional yeast flakes contain the 9 essential amino acids making it a complete protein. It is a fabulous addition to a plant-based or vegan lifestyle.
This sauce has also lemon, garlic and vegetal milk.
Finally while adding the sauce to the pasta, I love to add few spinach leaves for more taste and nutrients of course.
What type of pasta?
You could use wholegrain macaroni. Or you could go for gluten-free macaroni using brown rice elbow macaroni.
For the pasta, the options are endless. Personally, I always try to use wholegrain pasta so it contains natural fiber, vitamins and mineral (because they are unrefined).
If you want something lighter and healthier (with extra vitamins), I highly recommend you to try this fabulous vegan mac and cheese sauce with some spiralized zucchini. If you have a spiralizer, you should opt for the tagliatelle blade. Best of all the zuchini pasta will cook and melt once you add the warm sauce and it is really delicious. So there is nothing to do except to spiralize them.
How to spiralize a zucchini?
At the beginning I used a peeler. Then I went for a hand spiralizer. Ikea has a cheap option.
And the one I use at home is now from Lurk and it works really well. You can find the same type on Amazon.
What do I do with the leftover sauce?
This delicious mac and cheese sauce recipe is great if you are craving comfort food. It makes a medium pot. It is perfect for 4 people. If you cook for 2, it is better to cook the amount of sauce you have here and not to divide the ingredients into 2 to be sure you reach this creamy texture.
Finally, you can keep this plant-based and creamy sauce in the fridge for up to 4 days. It is absolutely tasty with a toast, some vegetables or even as a pizza base. It can be eaten hot or cold.
Are you looking for more plant-based or vegan pasta sauce options?
Great news, I have other great sauces for pasta on the blog. Try them out too because I use to cook them a lot and it is so tasty :
white sauce, plant-based style with cauliflower
Healthy and..
Creamiest recipe, sweet and savory, kids approved !
If you make it
If you make this vegan mac and cheese sauce recipe, tag me on Instagram as @live.and.taste and use #liveandtaste hashtag.
Feel free to ask me any question or leave me a comment (reply) below the recipe, I will be thrilled to reply to you.
Healthy greetings, Laetitia
CREAMY VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
Plant-based mac and cheese sauce
- 1 sweet potato (300 gr) - peeled and cut into medium pieces
- ½ lemon - freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ cup cashews
- 2 garlic clove - grated
- 2 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- ¾ cup vegetal milk
Pasta choice for 2
OPTION 1
- 250-300 gr whole grain macaroni
OPTION 2
- 2 big zucchini - spiralized
Pasta topping
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 handful baby spinach leaves
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel and cut the sweet potato into medium pieces. Then steam them in a steamer for about 12 to 15 minutes (until tender).
- Next, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Or spiralize your zucchini (using a peeler or a spiralizer) and set aside in a medium bowl.
- Place the lemon, cashews, grated garlic, nutritional yeast flakes and vegetal milk in a high speed blender. When the sweet potato are cooked, add them and blend until you reach a smooth and creamy texture. I usually stop once, scrap the side and blend again.
- If you want to loosen the sauce, add up to 2 tablespoons of hot water (you can use the pasta water). This is totally optional. I usually like the sauce a bit thick.
- Drain the pasta and transfer them back to the pot. Toss them with as much sauce as you wish.
- If you are using zucchini noodles, toss them with as much mac and cheese sauce as you wish (no need to cook them, they will become tender with the warm sauce).
- Finally, add some fresh baby spinach leaves, some chili flakes, fresh thyme and fresh ground pepper.
- I usually keep the leftover of the sauce in the fridge to stir into my next meal, for my pizza or even for a snack with vegetables stick. It lasts for up to 3-4 days.
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