Best EVER Vegan Mac-n-Cheese

Stop what you are doing, go get these ingredients and make this food. Be sure to put on comfy pants before you eat it. :-)

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces macaroni (elbows big or small are good, penne works too)

• 2/3 cup vegan butter (you can reduce this if you want to) - Earth Balance is best

• 4 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped

• 2 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

• 2/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped

• 2 cup water

• 1/2 cup raw cashews

• 3-4 teaspoons sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• Vegan Breadcrumbs - optional

**Note on the cashews - if you do not have a high-speed blender you may consider soaking your cashews overnight.

Instructions:

1. Cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

4. In a blender, add cashews, salt, garlic, margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, paprika and cayenne. Then add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth. (IF you do not have a high speed blender like a Ninja or Vitamix blender, you may want to soak the cashews overnight.)

5. In a 9 x 12 casserole dish baking dish, toss in the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated.

6. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

   1. Optional….you do not have to add breadcrumbs or put in a casserole dish if you just want mac and cheese without the “bake”. You can simply add the sauce to your pasta (once you have strained it).