The Best Vegan Gluten Free Mac 'n' Cheese

• Vegetarian
• Gluten free

• Produce

  • 4 cloves Garlic

• Refrigerated

  • 2 cups Almond milk, unsweetened plain

• Pasta & Grains

  • 10 oz Gluten free penne

• Baking & Spices

  • 4 1/2 tbsp Arrowroot starch
  • 5 tbsp Nutritional yeast
  • 1 Sea salt and pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 4 tbsp Olive or grape seed oil

• Dairy

  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, vegan

Found on minimalistbaker.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 head roasted garlic (see instructions for method)
• 10-12 ounces (283-340 g) gluten free penne (I love Bionaturae penne found at Whole Foods)
• 4 Tbsp (60 ml) olive or grape seed oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp or 12 g)
• 4 1/2 Tbsp (31 g) arrowroot starch
• 2 cups (480 ml) unsweetened plain almond milk, plus more as needed
• Sea salt and pepper to taste (~1/4 tsp each)
• 5 Tbsp (15 g) nutritional yeast, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup (40 g) vegan parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

• To roast garlic, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and cut off the very top of a head of garlic. Drizzle the top with a bit of oil, a sprinkle of salt and loosely wrap in foil.
• Place directly on oven rack and roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on size of garlic. Youll know its done when the garlic is very fragrant and the bulb is golden brown. Remove from oven, slightly unwrap, and let cool.
• At the 40-minute mark, bring roughly 10 cups (2400 ml) water to a boil in a large pot and salt generously. Once boiling, add pasta and stir to prevent noodles from sticking. Cook according to package instructions (usually about 8-10 minutes). Once fully cooked, drain and set aside.
• In the meantime, begin preparing sauce. Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and minced fresh garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown. Immediately add arrowroot starch and whisk - cook for 1 minute.
• Slowly add almond milk while whisking, then cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. The sauce will likely look a little clumpy - that’s OK! We’re going to blend it.
• Transfer mixture to a blender, along with the roasted garlic. To extract garlic, simply push up from the base and the softened cloves should come right out - so gratifying (and delicious).
• Next add 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, nutritional yeast, and vegan parmesan cheese and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed - you want it pretty well salted + cheesy, so dont be shy with the nutritional yeast, salt, and vegan parmesan cheese.
• Return sauce back to skillet from earlier and cook over low heat until warmed and slightly thickened - about 2-3 minutes - whisking occasionally. As it warms back up, it will thicken and get super cheesy (see photo). For a thicker sauce, leave it as is. To thin slightly, add almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Turn off heat if it starts bubbling too aggressively.
• Add cooked, drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Then top with 1 more Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese.
• Optional: Heat oven to high broil and position a rack at the top of the oven. Broil pasta on high for 1-2 minutes (optional), or until golden brown (see photo). Watch closely as it can burn quickly.
• Serve immediately. I love topping mine with an extra pinch of vegan parmesan cheese - I can never get enough of that stuff.
• Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop - add extra almond milk if its dry.

Nutrition