Vegan Baked Chipotle Mac + Cheese Casserole
Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Servings: 6
The Challenge: Chipotle Mac + Cheese
Just in time for Thanksgiving dinner, I have an E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T recipe for you! Baked mac + cheese with a cheesy, breading topping would be one thing. Making it vegan would be even better. Making it vegan + making it chipotle mac and cheese. Drop the phone homie! That’s right folks. That’s what we have here YUM.
We use a delicious plant-based blend to create an amazing chipotle cheese sauce that we mix in with fresh cooked macaroni. The cheese blend mixes together potato, carrot, nutritional yeast, chipotles in adobo sauce, and much more! It is pourable, delicious vegan cheese.
From there, we mix it in with coooked macaroni and top with panko breadcrumbs and a brazil nut cheddar mix that is undeniably good. Bake it up for a bit…and you got yoself an amazing VEGAN BAKED MAC + CHEESE, chipotle-style. So damn good.
You will absolutely love this recipe. Not only is it delicious mac + cheese, but its baked and its perfect to bring to a family event. Don’t tell your pals or fam its vegan…they won’t even know. I swear. Its a little spicy, though, so enjoy a bit of heat.
Just thinking about how good this mac + cheese is has gotten me all flustered … so…
Let's get into it!
Ingredients:
Chipotle Cheese Sauce
1 cup gold new potato, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
medium shallot, diced
1/4 cup raw brazil nuts or hazelnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened rice milk (or other unsweetened dairy-free milk)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbl apple cider vinegar
2-4 tbl vegetable broth, low sodium (depending on how runny you want the cheese)
1 tbl lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 chipotle in adobo sauce + 2 tbl adobo sauce
Spices: 1.5 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, pinch of black pepper, pinch of ancho chili powder. 1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbl butter
Brazil Nut Cheddar
1 cup of raw brazil nuts
2 tbl nutritional yeast
Spices: 1/3 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, pinch chili powder
1 chipotle in adobo sauce
1 tsp olive oil
Other
4 cups of dry macaroni shells
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Equipment You'll Need:
Mixing Bowls . Sharp Chopping Knife . Measuring Cups + Spoons . Cutting Board . Small Pot . Food Processor . Baking Casserole . Medium Boiling Pot
Before You Cook:
Bring a large soup pot of water + medium saucepan with 6 cups of water to a boil on high heat.
Wash and chop fresh ingredients
1. Place potatoes, carrots, and shallots into pot of 6 cups of boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes then drain and add to a food processor.
2. While that is boiling, get another medium to large pot of water boiling and add 4 cups of dry macaroni. Boil for 8 minutes until al dente.
3. Next, add the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients to a food proocessor and blend until smooth. It should be thick but pourable.
4. Next, pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and mix well in a small to medium casserole dish. Set aside. Turn oven on at 400F.
5. Add all the brazil nut cheddar ingredients to a food processor and pulse 8-10 times until mixed into a cheese blend.
6. Add cheese blend + panko breadcrumbs to the top of the mac + cheese casserole and place into oven. Bake at 400F for 16-20 minutes then broil at 500F for 4-5 minutes until breadcrumbs/cheese blend start to brown.
7. Serve + enjoy! This feeds about 6-8 people as a side dish.
