I don’t think there’s an American classic that I like better than good ole’ Mac and Cheese. Well, corn bread is a close second. But since I’ve been actively trying to go vegan, I haven’t really eaten Mac and Cheese at all! And… I MISS IT!! As I’m exploring vegan cheeses, I’m evaluating their taste, accessibility, price, meltiness factor, and nutritional facts. See my full review on my Instagram Product Review story highlights! I’m finding that vegan cheese and products in general are super high in sodium – I’m not entirely sure why! So my advice to you, is to be conscious of adding any additional salt while cooking with vegan cheese. You’ll notice my recipe below has 0 added salt!

Now onto the good stuff… I discovered some vegan cheeses at my local Amish Market and decided to test it out in a simple one-pot mac and cheese! You can easily substitute Daiya or any other shredded vegan cheese in this recipe! Of course, my Mac and Cheese is kicked up with some garlic, chili, and cilantro – NOMZ! Check it out 🙂

Vegan Mac and Cheese:

• 4oz (a little more then half a box) of Banza Chickpea Wheels
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk – I used Silk
• 1 cup shredded vegan cheddar – I used a local market vegan cheese, but daiya works
• 1 cup shredded vegan pepper jack
• 2 tbsp vegan plain cream cheese – I used Tofutti
• 1 clove of garlic – roughly chopped
• 1 red chili – minced
• handful of fresh cilantro – roughly chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas – thawed
• Cooking spray

1. Fill a medium pot with water and spray with some cooking spray and set over high flame. Bring to a rapid boil and add in Banza pasta. Stir and boil for about 7-8 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside (you don’t need to reserve the water).

2. Rinse the same pot and set over medium flame. Spray with cooking spray and if NOT using a non-stick pot, drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Add in garlic, chilies, and about 1 tbsp of the chopped cilantro. Sauté for about 30 seconds then pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then whisk in the cream cheese and turmeric. Let the cream cheese melt in, continue whisking. Once the mixture is back to a boil, add in the shredded cheeses and whisk. Turn down heat to medium-low and continue boiling. Add in the green peas at this point. Mixture should boil for about 8-10 minutes, until thickened and very yellow in color.

3. Once it reaches the consistency of a thin queso, add in the pasta wheels and gentle stir using a spoon.

Making sure that all the wheels are incorporated. Add in the remaining chopped cilantro and turn down heat. Divide amongst two bowls and serve!

DELICIOUSLY CREAMY!