Yard House Mac and Cheese: Vegan Style

I've never been to Yard House but apparently their Mac and Cheese is on point. My friend Anna veganized their recipe and passed it on to me. It is so damn good. Seriously. Delicious. My brother insists I make it as a side dish for Thanksgiving, and although that won't be happening I will be making this again as a quick and easy dinner.

1 lb elbow/shell pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour (or chickpea flour if you're GF)
3 cups plant-based milk (I used the carton coconut milk because I had it on hand, but almond or soy would work as well)
8 ounces Pepper Jack Daiya wedge or shreds
8 ounces Cheddar Daiya wedge or shreds
1 cup bread (preferably day old sourdough/bakery breads)
2 boxes Crimini mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Optional: Bacon Bits (yes, they're vegan! Crazy, huh?)
Optional: Truffle Oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cook the pasta until slightly under done, then drain and set aside.

Cut the cheeze wedges into little cubes, set aside. Take the bread and place it in a food processor and blend until crumbly, set aside.

In a large sauce pain melt the butter over medium heat, once melted whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to a boil and remove from heat- add the cheddar and jack handfuls at a time along with salt, cayenne, and black pepper to taste. Once all the cheese is melted pour the pasta into the sauce. It's going to look like an absurd amount of sauce, but it works out perfectly, have some faith.

Lightly spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray, pour the cheesy pasta and all of the sauce into the casserole dish. Toss your bread crumbles with the garlic powder and layer it on top of the pasta and bake for 20 minutes.

While your pasta is baking, quarter the mushrooms and saute them for just a couple minutes, so they still have a nice bite to them but have lost much of their water weight. When the pasta comes out of the oven serve it with a scoop of the mushrooms, optional bacon bits, and a drizzle of truffle oil.

*I made this again with 6 oz daiya mozzarella shreds, 2 oz daiya cheddar shreds, and 8 ounces daiya pepper jack shreds and it was so insanely good. Almost like a more 'sophisticated' mac, but that's just my opinion!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Oh My God. This is incredible!!  Hands down one of my favorate mac and cheeses thus far. It is so creamy, rich, cheesy, and filling. And honestly you can't even tell there is squash in this. Feed this to your children! They won't even notice the hidden squash. You can thank me later ;)

1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into small cubes
Olive oil
1 tablespoon plant-based butter
3/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz box of (brown rice) macaroni or other small-shaped noodles
Mix-ins of your choice: I added in a handful of raw red kale pieces and some pine nuts which were such great additions. You can also add in some steamed broccoli, pumpkin seeds, peas, etc)

Preheat your oven to 425°F (if you have a convection setting it'll cut the time in half). Toss the squash cubes into a tiny bit of olive oil, then bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove from heat and all to cool. You will only need 1 cup of the squash, if you have extra then save it- it would be a great mix-in at the end.

Cook your pasta according to package directions. While you pasta is cooking make the cheese sauce. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat melt your plant-based butter. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients: milk, cornstarch, yeast, mustard, spices, lemon- until clump free. Then pour into the butter and whisk over low heat until it starts to thicken, about 4 minutes. In a blender blend together 1 cup of the squash and the cheese sauce, then return to the stove to reheat. Pour over your pasta and stir to coat, add in your mix-ins (I used the kale and pine nuts but I wish I had some extra squash to toss in as well), then serve.

Makes four small portions, recipe from Oh She Glows