Description
This Vegan Italian Mac & Cheese brings together roasted vegetables, savory vegan sausage, and a creamy garlic cashew sauce for a comforting, plant-based meal that’s perfect for any night of the week.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 oz cremini mushrooms
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 head (12 cloves) + 6 cloves garlic, divided
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce, shoyu, or tamari
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 lb cavatappi
- 14 oz vegan Italian sausage
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews (Soak overnight if not using a high-speed blender.)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Prep the shrooms: Clean and cut the mushrooms in quarters.
- Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, thyme and pepper. Stir in the mushrooms and tomatoes, mixing well so that everything is coated. Transfer to a baking dish with the marinade.
- Roast the garlic: Place the peeled cloves of 1 garlic head in a piece of foil and wrap it into a ball. Place it in a baking dish along with the vegetables. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring the vegetables every 15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta: Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Cook the sausage: While the pasta and vegetables cook, in a medium skillet cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon. (You may need to chop the sausage depending on the firmness of the product.)
- Make the roasted garlic cream sauce: When the garlic is done roasting, prepare the sauce: In a high-speed blender, combine the roasted garlic, vegetable broth, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Combine the dish: When the pasta is done cooking, add the pasta and sausage to the pan with the mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir well to combine and pour the sauce on top. Mix well.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil.
Notes
- Gluten Allergy? Use gluten-free pasta instead of cavatappi.
- Soy Allergy? Replace the vegan Italian sausage with a crumbled soy-free tempeh.
- Nut Allergy? Swap the cashews with pepitas.
- Spoiler Alert: Italian Vegan Mac & Cheese will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian