“Box Mac N Cheese” (Vegan, WFPB)
Although this quick vegan mac n ‘cheese’ has no real cheese or processed powder packet, it is comforting, quick, and delicious just like Kraft or Annie’s! Use whole wheat pasta (or protein pasta) and soy milk for 20 grams of protein per serving!
This is a star recipe in my cookbook, Plant-Based Cooking for Kids. I’ve made it probably 100 times. It is forgiving–you can use different types of flours or use cornstarch, or be missing paprika or lemon pepper–and it’s still yummy. You can add broccoli or cauliflower or keep it just pasta–and it’s still yummy.
This is the meal I make when I don’t know what else to make. I always have a box of pasta on hand, and I usually have this mix made. If I don’t though–it takes only a couple minutes to make it. It is comforting and filling on the busiest nights. One pot. Boom. Done. Wow. Delicious.
My own kids love to look through my cookbook (I made sure there are full-page photos of every single recipe!) and when they see the page with this photo on it, they always want to make mac ‘n cheese “right now!” And they think it should always have peaches and peas on the side just like I styled it for the photo that one day.
What Pasta to Use?
I rarely use elbow macaroni, but you certainly can for nostalgia sake and to be the most like the Kraft Box version! I use whatever shape I can find in whole wheat organic pasta, often the Simple Truth brand. My favorite is Brami pasta, which has fantastic bite and texture even though it includes lupini beans for extra protein.
For gluten-free, my sister who cooks gluten-free likes the Barilla gluten-free pasta best. It is the most like normal pasta and doesn’t require you to rinse the rice starch off. It’s also easy to find at most grocery stores!
How to Make Quick Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese
First make the “cheese powder” mix. I use non-fortified Sari nutritional yeast, but any will work.
As for the flours that thicken the sauce, you can use whatever you have. My favorite is probably a gluten-free flour blend since it is so smooth, but I often use whole wheat flour since that’s what I bake with most. Cornstarch also works well, and I always keep non-gmo cornstach from Anthony’s on hand or Rumford’s Non-GMO Cornstarch.
Once your mix is made, boil the pasta.
The recipe is for a 12-oz box of pasta, so if you use a 16-oz box of pasta, you can choose whether to double the sauce recipe for extra sauciness, or just let the sauce be a bit more diluted. Over time, the pasta absorbs quite a bit of the sauce and it thickens up.
I love to add broccoli florets to the boiling pasta for the last 4 minutes of cooking time, then drain it all together.
Next, return the hot pot to the stove and add the milk. Whisk in the “cheese” mix and let it bubble and thicken. Stir in the cooked pasta, and you’re done!
Real Life Photos…
In a world where AI can generate photos of any imagineable food, and literal pefect food photography is rampant on every social media scroll, I almost want to share the real snapshots more than my curated “trying-to-be-professional” photos. Don’t we all crave realness in a world that is feeling more and more fake?
So here is what my typical plate of this delicious meal looks like. I love boiling broccoli with the pasta for the last few minutes, and draining it all together and then folding it all into the easy “cheese” sauce. I add hot sauce or red pepper flakes on top usually. *chef’s kiss*
Lemon Pepper Seasoning in Macaroni and Cheese?
I use a little bit of lemon pepper for a bit of tanginess that you’d get from cheese. It’s subtle but I think it adds. You can skip it if you really don’t have it, but I recommend it. I like to order lemon pepper from Azure Standard along with so many other things I order from them for an easier life!). But you can even make your own lemon pepper pretty easily!
Mac n Cheese Recipes with Hidden Vegetables
I have several other mac n cheese recipes, that we also LOVE. They are not quite as quick as this one, because they involve blending up a sauce in the blender instead of whisking it together in the same pot you boiled pasta in. Try them out for extra veggies that you’d never guess are hiding in that sauce!
"Box" Mac 'n Cheese (Vegan, WFPB)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour (anything that thickens--whole wheat, gluten-free, brown rice flour, cornstarch, all-purpose, etc)
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning see notes
- 1 tablespoon paprika (not smoked, unless you want heat)
To prepare macaroni and "cheese"
- 1/2 cup mix (recipe above)
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk or other plant milk
- 12 ounces pasta (if you use 16 oz pasta, you may want to double the sauce recipe for extra saucy, but I often don't)
- 1 lb broccoli florets optional
Instructions
- Make the mix by stirring all the ingredients together. Store the mix in a jar with label. Keeps well in the pantry for months.
To use the mix and make the macaroni and cheese
- Boil a box of pasta (8-12 ounces) according to the package directions. If you'd like to add broccoli, add the broccoli florets 4 minutes before the pasta will be done, and boil all together. Drain.
- While the pasta is in the colandar in the sink, return the hot pot to the stove. Add the milk to the pan and turn the heat back on to medium heat. Whisk in the dry mix, and let it bubble and simmer until it starts to thicken. Cook 2-3 minutes with it bubbling, until a thick sauce, then remove from heat. Gently stir in the pasta (and broccoli if using).
- Add salt and pepper to taste (this is important). I also put hot sauce or red pepper flakes on mine.
Notes
Nutrition
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