Easy Vegan Mac & “Cheese” Sauce

Mac and cheese has been one of my favorite meals since forever. I love it so much, I probably loved it in my past lives, too. So, it comes as no surprise that as I was rifling through my cupboards this afternoon (they were barren) trying to decide what to create for lunch on this winter’s day with the few odd ingredients I had, I decided to try my hand at creating my own “cheese” sauce to go over gluten-free brown rice noodles I had in-stock.

There truly is never a bad time for mac and cheese. Plus, when it’s vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, how can you say no?

I was surprised at how simple this was to make and how delicious it turned out. I honestly kind of thought it was going to be a disaster — you’ll be like wtf? when you see my ingredients list — but, trust me on this one. I hope you enjoy this ooey-gooey heavenly mac and cheese “cheese” sauce as much as I did.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon tapioca powder (*This is what gives it the thick, creamy texture.)
• 1 cup Pacific carrot-cashew-ginger soup or, vegan butternut squash soup
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder or mustard (optional, for flavor)
• 1/2 can organic canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (* Note: Trader Joe’s sells this for cheap!)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional, for sweetness)
• Feel free to add a few tablespoons of spring water if it is too thick.

If you’ve never had nutritional yeast, it is totally gluten-free and has a yummy cheesy flavor. Plus, it’s packed with B12, so it’s a great way to get that crucial vitamin into your diet.

Directions

1. Add all of your wet ingredients into your pan followed by the dry. Fold in the dry ingredients with the wet over medium heat until smooth.
2. Stir constantly until thick and bubbling. About 10 minutes.
3. Pour over organic, gluten-free noodles. Toss really well so each noodle is coated.
4. Top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and enjoy!

P.S., wondering what to do with all that tapioca flour now? Try making my delicious banoffee pie!

xx