Baked Mac and Cheese
A lovely easy take on the classic that is so easy to make – this is comfort food at its best! To make it a little healthier use wholemeal pasta rather than white pasta as it will up the fibre content.
Takes 30 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 400 g dried macaroni pasta or wholemeal penne for a healthier option
- 600 ml non dairy milk
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 4 clove of garlic
- 4 tbsp white flour
- 4 tbsp oil
- 150 g of vegan cheddar style cheese ideally orange colour
- 200 g of pumpkin puree
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Pinch paprika
- 50 g of bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
- Peel and finely dice the garlic
- Grate the vegan cheddar style cheese
- Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt and once boiling reduce to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook it 2 minutes less than the pack instructions as it will cook further in the oven. Drain and rinse and set aside ensuring to keep a cup of the pasta water.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the oil, once hot add the diced garlic and cook for 1 minute until golden, sieve in the flour and add in the nutmeg, paprika and 3/4 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add in the non dairy milk while whisking continuously. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, it should start to reach a nice creamy white sauce like consistency. Once the milk has started to boil, reduce to medium heat and add in half the grated vegan cheddar cheese and pumpkin puree and mix it until it melts. Taste this white sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more salt or black pepper.
- In a casserole dish (we used a 22 x 22cm dish) add the pasta and pour in the white sauce and ½ the grated cheese and mix well. Level out and sprinkle over the other half of the grated cheese, the bread crumbs and bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins
- Take out and enjoy!
