You’re probably wondering what’s up with all the vegan and gluten-free recipes lately. Well, we’re trying to eat a little healthier around here. Sure, we love a fat, juicy burger just as much as the next person, but the fact is as we get older we need to be a little more mindful about what we put in our bodies. So, when Bea over at The Not So Cheesy Kitchen decided to host a “free for all” theme for #SundaySupper (that is, fat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, whatever free), I was all over it! And I’m bringing this yummy vegan mac and “cheese” bake. By the way, this dish is dairy free, egg free, and gluten-free.
While it has a nice ring to it, the whole eating better because we’re getting older isn’t the entire story. Truth be told, Morgan had open heart surgery a couple of months ago, just a few weeks shy of his 50th birthday. I know, it was a shock. But it made us take a hard look at some of our bad habits. Now that he’s recovered from the surgery, he’s really focusing on what he eats. Currently he’s on a vegan kick, or at least he’s trying. We won’t go into how he ordered in a Philly cheese steak as an after dinner snack the other night. (Why do I find this so amusing?) We’ve been trying all sorts of new things, and this pasta was a huge hit. In fact, he couldn’t believe it’s relatively good for you. Bonus!
So, here’s the thing about vegan mac and cheese–it doesn’t really taste like mac and cheese. But that’s OK because it’s delicious on its own. The sauce is creamy and flavorful, and you’ll never miss the cheese, I swear. If you like your pasta super creamy, skip the baking part. However, if you have a hankering for a nice crunch, the gluten-free Italian bread crumbs add a wonderful flavor when baked on top. This recipe was adapted from the Vegan Yum Yum
First, cook and drain the pasta according to the package directions.
Gather all your ingredients for the sauce.
While the pasta’s cooking, get your sauce on. Melt the margarine over medium-low heat, then stir in the flour to make a roux.
Next, stir in the miso, tahini, tomato paste, tamari, lemon juice, onion powder, and garlic powder. The mixture will still be thick.
Slowly whisk in the almond milk and nutritional yeast, along with the salt and pepper. Continue cooking until it thickens (right about when it starts to boil).
Toss with the pasta. The pasta can be served at this point, or you can continue on to the baking part.
Spread the pasta in a greased baking dish, sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, then bake for about 20 minutes. When it’s golden brown like this, you’re good.
Enjoy!
- 2½ cups brown rice elbow macaroni
- ⅓ cup Earth Balance margarine
- ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp red miso
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- 1¼ cups unsweetened almond milk
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- salt & white pepper to taste
- ½ cup gluten free Italian bread crumbs
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.
- Melt the margarine in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour until dissolved, making a roux.
- Stir in the miso, tahini, tamari, tomato paste, lemon juice, onion powder, and garlic powder. The mixture will be thick.
- Whisk in the almond milk, along with the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until thickened.
- Stir in the drained pasta. At this point you can serve the pasta as is or continue on to bake.
- Spread the pasta mixture into a greased baking dish.
- Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
Let’s see what everyone else is cooking up!
Breakfast
- Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut & Soy Free Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding by girlichef
- Dairy & Nut and Sugar Free Blueberry Tangerine Muffins by Vintage Kitchen
- Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut, and Soy Free Homemade Mango Jam Recipe by Masala Herb
Main Courses
- Gluten Free Nothing Missing Manicotti by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Gluten Free Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Meatballs over Courgette Noodles by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
- Gluten Free Pizza by Cravings of a Lunatic
- Dairy, Egg & Nut Free Balsamic Portobello Burgers by Curious Cuisinere
- Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Nut Free Mushroom Risotto Bake by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Dairy, Egg & Gluten Free Vegan Mac and “Cheese” by Webicurean
- Dairy, Egg & Nut Free Creamy Mushrooms on Pasta by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Gluten Free Enoki Mushroom & Pine Nut Quinoa by Family Foodie
- Gluten Free Persian Cucumber Yogurt by Shockingly Delicious
- Gluten Free Quinoa with Olives, Basil and Sun-dried Tomatoes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
- Dairy Free Farro and Fruit Salad by Magnolia DaysÂ
- Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Dairy Free Fattoush Salad by From the Bookshelf
- Gluten Free Chickpea Fritters by The Lovely Pantry
- Dairy, Egg, and Gluten Free Black Bean and Mango Salad by Soni’s Food
- Dairy, Egg, Gluten, and Nut Free Grilled Fennel Salad by Food Lust People Love
- Dairy & Gluten Free French Bread by Blueberries and Blessings
- Dairy & Gluten Free Crunchy Almond Sesame Crackers by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Treats
- Dairy & Gluten Free Individual Chocolate Pavlovas by The Girl in The Little Red Kitchen
- Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies by Juanita’s Cocina
- Dairy, Egg & Gluten Free Apple Almond Butter Cookies by What Smells So Good?
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almond Flour by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Nut Free Lemon Cardamom Wedding Cookies by Gourmet Drizzles
- Dairy Free Chocolate Gelato by Growing Up GabelÂ
- Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Sugar Free Cantaloupe, Strawberry, & Coconut Gazpacho by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Gluten Free Meringue Kisses with Dulce de Lece by Basic N Delicious
- Dairy & Egg Free Vegan Everyday Chocolate Loaf by Gotta Get Baked
- Gluten, Dairy, and Nut Free Coconut Macaroons by Happy Baking Days
- Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Soy Free Tastes like Chocolate Ice Cream by Cookistry
- Gluten Free Mousse & Cookies by Ninja Baking
- Gluten Free Brown Butter Snickerdooles by Pies and Plots
- Dairy, Egg & Soy Free Chai Spice Coconut Ice Cream by Daily Dish Recipes
- Gluten Free Lemonade Dip by The Messy Baker
- Nut & Fat Free Chocolate Angel Food Cake by Table for Seven
Drinks
- Gluten & Dairy Free Honey Bear Smoothies by Neighborfood
- Sugar Free Strawberry Meyer Lemonade by The Weekend Gourmet
Be sure to join our Twitter #SundaySupper chat party starting at 7:00 pm EST today, June 9th, 2013. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag throughout the day to see the amazing recipes. We look forward to see you 🙂 to join all you need to do is follow[ the #SundaySupper hashtag and please do not forget to include the hashtag in your tweets as well. Be sure to check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and photos.
Look what we’re sponsoring! Come join us in sunny Orlando, this July!
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been wanting to try a vegan pasta like this. My vegan friends swear it is the best. I am pinning this for later.
This is the second vegan recipe that has cheese in the title yet none in the ingredients (the other one was a cheesecake). This is an amazing pasta all by itself Anne! No need to add the cheese, I agree.
I’ll take mine with the crunchy topping please! YUM!
Tahini, miso, and tamari is what is calling out to me. What a flavor fest!! Who cares if it is vegan or not like traditional mac and cheese. With those ingredients I’m ready to make this pasta.
What a great recipe! I have lots of vegan friends, so I’ve been also playing around with some new recipes lately. My VERY favorite vegan cookbook is Veganomicon. It’s amazing how flavorful vegan cooking can be when done right! 😉
oooh thanks for the tip–I’ll have to check that out! I’ve also been trying recipes from Karma Chow–I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the recipes in both books!
Oh I think I saw brown rice pasta types in the shop the other day here. Usually these type of ingredients are hard to find here. Egg free pasta yes, that’s common but not gluten free. For sure your mac and cheese tastes awesome!
Hey, Anne
So sorry to hear about Morgan…. but it sounds lime he is on the mend!
….. (I can imagine it did not help to be married to such a fantastic cook!)
Since I saw you last, I have been on a healthy eating kick, not a lot of meat,
but pretty heavy on fruits, nuts & veggies. At first I craved meat and sweets, but as I started feeling my jeans feel loose, then neighbors who saw me at the mailbox started to mention that I looked like I’d been “slenderizing” it gave me even more encouragement. Meanwhile, I discovered that I can find some fantastic, healthy and yes even vegan recipes on…Pinterest, so give it a try, should you want to keep your man healthy!
I do have one question… since I have stopped eating pasta. Is that macaroni also gluten free? Your pal, Cid in Moss Beach
Oh, yes, Please give my best to Morgan! Sorry about previous misspellings etc.
-Cid
Hey Cid! That’s what I was thinking–losing a few pounds would be a nice bonus, plus once we’re eating better on a regular basis, we’ll be craving the good stuff more! Yes–pasta made from brown rice flour is gluten free. The ones sold at Trader Joe’s are pretty good, but I did like the Pastariso brand a little better. I got that at Andronico’s, and they probably have it at Whole Foods or Lunardi’s too!
I like that you pointed out that it didn’t taste like mac & cheese, but was good in its own rite. It sure looks tempting!
Miso and tamari in mac ‘n cheese are intriguing. I love how ingredients from the West and East can merge into one delicious dish.
Appreciate the heads-up to lower expectation of a traditional mac ‘n cheese. Thank you, too, for the note about baking with breadcrumbs to obtain a crunch.
You know, I was worried at first that they might overwhelm the dish, but the miso gave the sauce a really nice rich flavor
I am so super excited for your vegan mac and cheese. The dish looks and sounds fantastic. I cannot wait to duplicate it here in Portland. Thank you so much for sharing! ~ Bea
That sauce sounds absolutely delicious – I don;t think I’d miss the cheese one bit in this dish!
Love the ingredients! And a crunchy typing! Sounds like my kinda dish
Mac and cheese of any kind is a-okay for me, but now you’re making it healthier? I’m so in!
We don’t eat alot of vegan, but, this looks delicious..I need to give it a try!
Wow, that’s an ingenious use of ingredients!
Mac and Cheese lovers everywhere will be happy to see this healthy recipe.
The pictures on this website are incredible–congratulations on such a good job–I have enjoyed visiting your website and will return again.
Lisa
Thanks so much! Nothing is as satisfying as a rich and creamy pasta dish!
Super healthy and looks simple delicious.
I’ve been curious about vegan cheese and I love the step by step instructions. I am going to try this! Beats the stuff in the blue box!
Wow, this sure looks and sounds amazing!I love the East meets West flavors going on here and the super creamy texture too 🙂 Yum!
This is awesome! I love that you captured the creaminess of the original without all that cheese C:
That sauce looks amazing and I love the crunchy crumb topping. This is a great GF mac and cheese recipe!
Anna, I’m sorry to hear about Morgan but glad that he’s doing well now. I can’t believe this is gluten-, dairy- and egg-free! It looks just as creamy, decadent and indulgent as regular mac ‘n cheese. The crunchy crumb topping is calling my name.
If for some reason I had to go vegan, I think this would be a good start. There is no way I could get myself to try the fake cheese, but it certainly looks like you’ve found a great way to get that salty, creamy texture of mac and “cheese” and of course the crispy topping!
Who knew a vegan mac and cheese could look so wonderful??? Lovely!
Wow! You are brave making vegan macaroni and cheese. it looks wonderful and the ingredients sound yummy!
This sounds and looks so yummy. What a treat for vegans who cannot eat Mac & Cheese ! Good job !
I’m always up for a new sauce. Anne this looks so creamy and what a plus that its vegan.
I have a vegan friend who would LOVE this! Thanks for sharing!
This is baking as we speak. So far so good! Although I haven’t tried the finished product yet, I well give my feedback so far. I tasted it before it went in the oven and it was delicious, although for my tastes, it tasted a tad too much like tahini. I like tahini but it’s a little unexpected in a Mac and cheese. After the first bite though, you kind of forget about the initial shock and it’s definitely tasty. The brown color is a bit off-putting as well, but that doesn’t bother me. All in all, I’m excited for it to come out of the oven!
I know what you mean about the tahini–I’ve come to accept that vegan mac & cheese never really tastes like the real thing anyway, so I try to evaluate the dish on its own merit. Did you put in the tomato paste? I swear every time I make this dish I forget lol but forgetting that probably would make it a little more on the brown side!
I did put in the tomato paste. Either way though, after it was baked, it was so good, and you couldn’t taste the tahini anymore. It was so good that my omnivorous husband went back for seconds!
Glad to hear you guys enjoyed it!
Really good to know this delicious but easy to prepare at home recipe. I made this dish first time but it really made wow…
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