The other day, I had a craving for cheese.
But not just any cheese.
I wanted warm…creamy…cuddle-up-with-my-blankie-and-take-a-nap-after-dinner, the one TRUE comfort food…
MAC ‘N CHEESE!
I blame THIS girl.
So I opened the fridge, peered in the designated cheese drawer and discovered to my horror…
NO CHEESE!?!
Ok, ok…so there WAS cheese…I’m never a girl to be without, BUT I wasn’t really feeling macaroni mixed with cranberry goat cheese…
But I didn’t let that stop me! 
Because you wanna know what also takes up residence in the “cheese drawer”?
TOFU!
Which I’m sure is against some sort of vegan code of refrigerator ethics, but I digress…
Instantly, I started singing…*
“Heather’s gonna GET some vegan mac”
“Heather’s gonna GET some vegan mac!”
*Complete with a Carlton-esque dance WITH the package of tofu IN the middle of the kitchen.
But as I sashayed around the kitchen door, I just happened to spy some leftover pumpkin puree…and that just happened to be sitting next to my jar of sunflower seed butter.
Hmm…
Best.decision.ever!
Come to the dark strange side…we eat GOOD!
Lip Smackin’ Vegan Mac
By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
Keywords: boil steam entrée side high protein vegan vegetarian high fiber pumpkin puree nutritional yeast tofu
Ingredients (Serves 2/4 as a side)
- 4 oz. uncooked whole wheat or multi-grain pasta
- 3/4 cup silken tofu
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seed butter (almond or cashew would work well too)
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup mixed veggies (I used peas & carrots)
Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine all ingredients (except for vegetables) in a blender and process until smooth.
3. Steam vegetables in 1 inch of water in a covered pot over medium-high heat until tender.
4. Once pasta is finished cooking, drain water and immediately stir in sauce and add vegetables.
5. Adjust seasoning if needed, garnish with dried parsley.
Nutritional facts for one serving WITH 1/2 cup each peas and carrots:
Over 25 grams of protein for a VEGAN dish?!
But wait, that’s not all:
So yeah, basically, this is like the nutritional holy grail of the mac ‘n cheese world!
I’m telling you right now, this is by far the CREAMIEST bowl of vegan mac
I’ve EVER tasted…
I knew Studley wouldn’t let me down!
And look, I even made enough to share!
Have you ever tried vegan mac?
What’s the “strangest” thing you’ve paired with nut butter?
tuna + peanut butter =
“Don’t knock it till ya try it!”
This looks so good! I love using sunflower seed butter in stir fry sauces, but I never would have thought to use it to make a mac and cheese dish. I tried vegan mac and cheese once using a pumpkin and nutritional yeast sauce, but I didn’t follow the directions exactly and I wasn’t really impressed with it. It’s hard to match the deliciousness of real cheese.
But I loooove sunflower seed butter so I think this version looks awesome!
ZOMG. I know what I’m making this weekend!! Thank you thank you! I do NOT think this is a strange-sounding recipe whatsoever! I think it’s a great recipe I can make for my hubby! We’ve been trying to make our dinners vegan each night, and while he doesn’t like pumpkin puree, I think he won’t notice it’s in there because of all the other flavors you’ve packed into it
Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend, love! <3
You weren’t kidding. This looks incredible! I actually have everything on hand to make it too! Yessss! Love the name.
P.S. I fixed/changed the link up and added you. Thanks for playing!
I always like yours and Laura’s strange but good recipes-makes me feel like I am not eating so strangely after all!! One question for you guys-I can’t have soy products due to health reasons and was wondering if you had any substitute ideas? Thanks and keep the unusual stuff coming!!
Aww, thank you Laura! Us weird foodies gotta stick together, right?
What kind of substitutions are you looking for? As far as protein sources, TVP and seitan (which is made from wheat gluten) are GREAT! And if you’re looking for a good substitution for the tofu in this recipe, you could try using ricotta or cottage cheese!
I don’t think I’ve ever made a vegan mac and cheese, the idea does intrigue me though! I love how you managed to get it packed with protein without any animal sources, that’s super impressive!
Wow, very interesting! This looks delicious!
Yummers. This looks a-maze-ing!
I may (frequently) do the Carlton dance when I’m cooking….
You know I love me some vegan mac n cheese! And I’m loving the ingredients in this recipe – pinning this now.
I saw this on instagram and immediately came over to your blog to see it! This looks so good! And so healthy
Although I am not vegan, I am a sucker for any type of cheese sauce substitute, especially those containing nutritional yeast or tofu. And I have done the nut butter and grain combination a number of times, but the strangest combination would probably be my cheezy peanut butter sauce over kelp noodles. So good though!
This sounds awesome… especially with the sunflower butter!! YUM!
um, i just made this for dinner and OH EM GEE. i subbed the sunflower butter though for pb & co’s the heat is on pb…*drool*
soooo good!
Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing! Gotta love cheeze with a little heat! I’ve been looking to get my hands on some of that PB for MONTHS! I may just have to suck it up and order it online…or just spice up some of my own peanut butter!
I’m SO glad you liked it!
This morning I got an email about an awesome sale that PB & Co is having! 6 jars for only $20 if you use the code PBHOOKUP until 1/10. Order Heat Is On, Mighty Maple & Cinnamon and Raisin. Sooo good!!!
They’re so pretty! I want some… now.
I am now craving a big bowl of this mac n cheese. Pinned! xx
Hi Heather,
YEA! Of course I appreciate this ingenious creation since I blog for the SunButter brand of sunflower seed butter, and I’m always looking for new recipes (which is how I found this post on your great blog). But as a mom looking to cook up good stuff to fuel three busy kids, I’m so eager to try this. 291% Vitamin A? I’m in! Plus tons of good fiber to keep ‘em full? Oh yes. Thanks for the inspiration!
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When I saw this on IG I actually couldn’t believe that you’d crossed over to the vegan side…but I’m so glad you did.
I make pumpkin tofu mousse on the regular, but I’ve never thought to turn it into a savory dish. [OK, that's sort of a lie, because I've thought about turning it into a creamy bisque before.] LOVE this!
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Mmmm that sounds so good! Do you really taste the pumpkin in it?
No, not at all! Thanks to the nutritional yeast, all you taste is cheezy nutty goodness!
Hi there. The current Food on Friday on Carole’s Chatter is collecting links to dishes using peas and/or green beans. I do hope you link this in. This is the link . Please do check out some of the other links – there are some good ones already. Cheers
Of course! Just linked up! Thank you so much for the invite!
Heather, thanks for linking up with Food on Friday. I hope to see you again soon with another lovely dish. the next one is about cauliflower and cabbage. Happy Easter
Oh my gosh, how funny! I just happen to be on a total cabbage kick!! Haha! That’s awesome!
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