Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese
This Vegan Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese is spicy, delicious, and nutritious! This weeknight dinner whips up in less than an hour and is the ultimate comfort food; with creamy cashew sauce, bold buffalo heat, it's the ultimate comfort food—dairy-free and guilt-free!
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 Large pot
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 ½ cups cashews, raw and unsalted
- 1 ½ cups soy, oat, or almond milk (unflavored)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce or other hot sauce (omit for kid-friendly)
- 2 tsp white miso
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Pasta
- 15 oz elbow macaroni
- 16 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
Sautéed Vegetables
- ⅓ of a red onion small dice
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups broccoli roughly chopped
- ¾ cup peas (if frozen, allow to defrost)
- ½ of a red bell pepper small dice
- 2 spicy veggie sausages, sliced or broken into chunks (Field Roast's Mexican Chipotle is my fav)
For Serving
- drizzle of hot sauce (optional)
- pinch of cayenne powder or paprika
Instructions
- Place 1 ½ cups cashews in a heat-safe bowl and pour boiling water over them. Soak for 15 minutes. While cashews soak, chop all the vegetables.
- Cashew Cheese: Add soaked cashews and everything else under "cashew cheese" to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add anything more to-taste, adding miso if salt is needed.
- Pasta:Bring a large pot of water and ¼ tsp salt to a boil. Add 15 ounces of elbow macaroni and cook according to package directions, until al dente. Use colander to strain the water out, return pasta back to pot, then pour cashew cheese over pasta and stir to evenly coat.
- Sautéed Vegetables:Heat large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, drizzle avocado oil and add onions with a pinch of salt. Cook 1-2 minutes, until softened, stirring frequently. Add broccoli and veggie sausages (if using) and cook another 1-2 minutes until broccoli begins to soften, then add peas and red bell pepper. Once broccoli has softened, remove from heat.
- Combine:Add sautéed vegetables to pasta pot and stir to combine. Taste, adding ¼ tsp salt if desired. Serve immediately, garnishing with a dash of hot sauce on top and a sprinkle of paprika or cayenne pepper for a pop of color. Enjoy!
Notes
This Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese keeps in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days.