Quarantine Kitchen: Vegan Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

I must admit, Kraft Mac & Cheese was never a staple of my childhood, so I never had to worry about breaking free from ties to boxed mac when I entered adulthood. But as I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate the versatility of mac & cheese: especially when it can be made to please any audience! This vegan sweet potato mac & cheese recipe can be modified to be made gluten-free (depending on your pasta preference) and contains no dairy or soy. 

I used Trader Joe's Red Lentil Pasta for this recipe. It's packed full of plant-based protein (so you don't have to worry about the post-dinner carb-crash) and is gluten-free! However, you can substitute any pasta you desire.

This recipe can also be modified to include more veggies (like my personal favorite: broccoli)! I used cheap, frozen broccoli I purchased from the grocery store pre-pandemic; it keeps well and provides a healthy dose of folate and calcium to this dish. Simply add the cooked broccoli to the vegan sweet potato mac & cheese before you serve it! If you want a hotter kick to your mac, you can also add your favorite hot sauce. You also might be able to use breadcrumbs and bake the mac and cheese to get an even more crispy texture- that is worthy of further query. 

Vegan Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

• Prep Time:20 mins
• Cook Time:20 mins
• Total Time:40 mins
• Servings:4
• Easy

Ingredients

• 12 oz. pasta cooked according to package directions
• 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced into chunks
• 1/4 cup starchy water; reserved after boiling sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup raw cashews; soaked for at least half-an-hour prior to preparation.
• 1/3 cup unsweetened plant milk
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 2 cloves garlic minced.
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

• Step 1

  In large stock pot, set a pot of water to rapid boil. Once boiling, add sweet potato chunks and cook on medium-high heat until soft (10-15 mins). You will notice the orange of the sweet potato will become more vibrant once they cook.

  

• Step 2

  In high-speed blender, combine onion powder, salt, pepper, garlic, nutritional yeast, soaked cashews, and lemon juice.

  

• Step 3

  Once sweet potatoes are finished cooking, add them to the blender with the 1/4 cup of starchy water from the pot. Blend on high speed until pureed.

  

• Step 4

  Add plant milk to blender and blend until combined.

  

• Step 5

  Pour sauce over prepared pasta of your choice.

  

• Step 6

  Add mix-ins if desired. Store leftovers in air-tight, refrigerated container for up to 2-3 days.