Before jumping into the post, I want to note that Outstanding Foods provided me with the Texas BBQ Pigless Pork Rinds pictured below for free. All of the opinions and ideas on my blog are my own.
When I first went vegan, I ate A LOT of mac’n’cheese. I fell in love with Daiya’s packaged vegan mac’n’cheese – it was so easy to make after a long day of classes and clubs and volunteering and whatever else I happened to be doing. Mac’n’cheese quickly became one of my favorite meals to eat. While I still love Daiya’s mac’n’cheese and I still do eat it on occasion, I started to make my own recipes, especially now that I have more time and a desire to eat more home-cooked food. Thus, this mac’n’cheese recipe was born.
This recipe is super easy (still a must-have for me) and takes less than 45 minutes to make. It uses my nacho cheese sauce recipe combined with your favorite noodles and a fire roasted pepper. I used a jalapeño pepper because I really love spicy food. This added both the spice and some really great flavor. However, if you’d just like to add a bit of pepper flavor, you can substitute a bell pepper of your choice. Choose your favorite bell pepper color because each will add a bit of a different flavor.
The Outstanding Foods Texas BBQ Pigless Pork Rinds on top add a bit of a crispiness, as well as a subtly sweet flavor which really levels up this recipe. In addition to just being delicious, these rinds are packed with protein (7g per bag!), gluten-free, and kosher. This entire recipe is kosher and gluten-free, as long as you use gluten-free noodles. You’ll need two full cups of these rinds to top your mac’n’cheese – so be sure not to eat the whole bag while you’re making your recipe!
I would love the hear what you think of this recipe and any changes you made. Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!
Easy Vegan Spicy Mac'n'Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 jalapeño
- ½ box your favorite noodles
- 1 serving nacho cheese sauce
- 2 cups Texas BBQ Pigless Pork Rinds Outstanding Foods brand
Instructions
Fire Roasting Your Jalapeño
- Place one of your oven racks in the middle of the oven and one on the top slot. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- When the oven is preheated, place the jalapeño on the top rack of the oven. Let it sit for approximately 25 minutes, rotating with tongs every once in a while as a side gets charred. Be sure to use oven mitts to ensure you don't burn yourself.
- When each side has been charred, remove the jalapeño from the oven and wrap in tin foil (or place in an air tight container). Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the skin of the jalapeño to loosen.
- Once the jalapeño is removed from the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F.
- Use a fork to push off the skin of the jalapeño. When removed fully, chop into small pieces and set aside.
Making the Mac'n'Cheese
- Make the nacho cheese sauce. The link to the sauce recipe can be found above. Set aside.
- Make your noodles according to the package directions. Set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, add the rinds and pulse until most of the rinds are crushed and there are a few bigger pieces (some pieces about a half inch in length should remain). You can also crush the pieces by hand in a bowl using a large spoon, but it will take a bit longer.
- Combine the nacho cheese, noodles, and fire roasted jalapeños in a bowl and mix well. Add more salt as needed.
- Pour into a baking pan or pie pan and spread evenly through the tray. Sprinkle the mac'n'cheese with the ground up rinds until evenly covering the mixture.
- Place the mac'n'cheese in the oven (make sure it is set to 350° as stated in the instructions above) on the middle rack. Let bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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