Friday, February 7, 2014

Original Recipe: Garlic Alfredo Mac & Cheese





Feel free to share.. just link back to this blog. 
I came across a recipe for a creamy garlic pasta. It wasn't plant based so it had yucky ingredients like chicken stock, heavy cream and lots of Parmesan. No thanks!


So, I got to work and modified it to create a deliciously mild, rich and creamy mac & cheese that will be especially perfect for the newly plant based! I think kids would like this too so if you try it on them, let me know.


Please make an effort to find the Ready Cut Spaghetti. Creamette makes it and it's very close to the traditional mac & cheese noodles from Kraft.


Shelly's Garlic Alfredo Mac & Cheese
This makes one large serving or 2 smaller side servings.


1 tbsp earth balance
          1 tsp minced garlic
         1.5 cups veg broth (I used water with 1 tsp of no chicken bouillon)
         4 oz Ready Cut Spaghetti
         1/4 c. cashew cream (recipe follows)
         1 tbsp nutritional yeast


Make the cashew cream and set it aside.

If you don't have a Vitamix or Blendtec blender, you will need to soak 1/2 cup cashews in water overnight. (or at least 4 hours) Drain and rinse and then proceed.

Take 1/2 cup raw cashews and 3/4 cup water and blend in blender until perfectly smooth. If you rub it between your fingers, it shouldn't be grainy. This could take a few minutes with a good blender, longer with a less powerful one. You will have left over cashew cream as you will use about 1/4 cup of it. You can save it for a few days to keep making this or check out the Isa Does It cookbook.. she uses cashew cream in many of her recipes so you can use leftovers there.

In a medium saucepan, heat the Earth Balance until melted. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. When the broth is boiling, add in the ready cut spaghetti and boil until it's cooked al dente, about 6 minutes. The broth should cook down a little and start to thicken.


Lower the heat and DO NOT DRAIN the noodles/sauce. Add in 1/4 cup cashew cream and the nutritional yeast. Heat over low heat while stirring until the sauce thickens up and is absorbed by the noodles. If you'd like it saucier, add more cashew cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. (use white pepper to avoid the black specs if that matters to you)

1 comment:

  1. with less powerful blenders, and if you forget to soak the cashews, they can be boiled for about 10-15 minutes and will blend smooth

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