Ooey, Gooey Mac ‘n’ ‘Cheese’
I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again—cold weather means the perfect opportunity to warm up with comfort food. And there are few foods that are more comforting than good ol’ mac ‘n’ “cheese.”
With much of the country experiencing freezing weather this week, I decided that it’s the perfect time to test-drive a couple recipes for the classic pasta dish.
Vegan Yum Yum recently featured a recipe that uses potatoes and carrots as the base of the “cheese,” but I found this a bit too healthy to be considered cold-weather comfort food.
RecipeZaar.com features a very popular nutritional yeast-based mac ‘n’ “cheese” that ranks high on the scale of sinful comfort food. Just check out the nutritional info on the link above. You’ll see what I mean. After testing it, I decided that it’s the perfect mac ‘n’ “cheese” recipe to warm me up on a cold day.
No, it doesn’t taste just like traditional macaroni and cheese, but it’s definitely reminiscent of it. So, try to ignore the cold weather and the terrifying number of calories in this dish and enjoy!
Nutritional Yeast Mac ‘n’ “Cheese”
1 1/2 lbs. pasta
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. salt (optional)
3 oz. firm tofu
1 cup canola oil
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. When done, drain and set aside.
- Place all the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until well combined.
- Add the cooked pasta to a casserole dish, pour the “cheese” mixture over the pasta and stir to coat the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken and brown slightly.
Makes 6 servings
