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What We’re Cooking This Weekend: Sweet Potato Vegan Mac & Cheese

JD Raymundo
|Updated Feb 25, 2021

Imagine a creamy sauce with loads of cheesy flavor that's made with vegetables. This rich dish uses sweet potato and whole foods to mimic mac and cheese, without any dairy or overly processed ingredients to achieve a decadent, rich, "cheesy" sauce that's packed with good-for-you ingredients like Vitamin B12, thanks to nutritional yeast. This dairy-free recipe is also very allergen-friendly, and can easily be made nut-free if you use non-dairy milk such as soy or oat milk, and be made gluten-free if you just sub out the pasta for gluten-free chickpea or lentil pasta.

If you’re ever craving mac & cheese but want a healthy version that tastes just as good, this recipe has got you covered!

Sweet Potato Mac & Cheeze

Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 10 Min
Total Time: 1 Hour, 10 Min

Ingredients

  • 1 Large Sweet Potato
  • 1 Small Onion, or ½ Large Onion
  • 5 Cloves Garlic, peeled and whole
  • 16 oz Short Pasta
  • 1 Cup Non-Dairy Milk
  • ¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast
  • ¼ Cup Neutral Oil, such as avocado oil
  • ½ Tsp Paprika
  • ½ Tsp Dried Oregano
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • ¼ Tsp Turmeric
  • ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
  • ¼ Tsp Chili Pepper Flakes, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a fork, poke some holes in your sweet potato. Peel your onion and cut it in half. Place your onions and garlic cloves on some foil and drizzle with oil. Mix around to make sure they are coated in oil. Take your foil and close it up with the onion and garlic inside. Bake your sweet potato, garlic, and onion in the oven for 1 hour. Carefully check on your garlic and onion half way through to make sure they aren’t burning.
  2. While your veggies are baking, cook your pasta according to the package. Drain it and set it aside. Once your veggies are done baking, remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes or until you can safely handle the sweet potato. Cut your sweet potato in half and scoop out 1 ½ Cups of the flesh.
  3. To a blender, add your sweet potato, roasted garlic and onion, non-dairy milk, oil, paprika, dried oregano, salt, turmeric, black pepper, and chili flakes (if using). Blend until completely smooth.
  4. Pour your sauce over your pasta, mix, and serve! Garnish with freshly chopped herbs and enjoy!

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