At this point, I pretty much eat mac ‘n cheese weekly. I’m a hardcore fan of mac ‘n cheese, some might say. Since St. Patrick’s Day falls on Wednesday this year and I’ve turned Wednesdays into “Mac ‘N Cheese Wednesdays,” I HAD to make a St. Patrick’s Day Mac ‘N Cheese. And what better way to celebrate both St. Patrick’s Day and Mac ‘N Cheese Wednesday than by turning my mac ‘n cheese green?
Not only was this recipe incredibly fun to create (who doesn’t love playing around with fun colors in their food?), but it was also super easy! It was basically creating your cheese sauce and adding a TON of spinach to it to turn it green. But what I wasn’t expecting was the spinach to actually impact the flavor in a really good way. The spinach adds a bit of an earthy flavor to the mac ‘n cheese, which I think balances the sweetness that comes from the cashews.
You can also mix this recipe up by adding in your favorite frozen veggies – I added peas to stick to the green theme, but you could add frozen carrots, corn, broccoli, really anything. I also added a bit of vegan parmesan shreds on top to add even more cheesiness, as well as a breadstick on the side.
This recipe is kosher (be sure to find the hechsher on products like the pasta and vegan milk) and can easily be made gluten-free by choosing a gluten-free pasta. Not only is this a great recipe for St. Patrick’s Day, but it could also be great to celebrate the start of spring as everything comes alive in shades of green.
This Green Vegan Mac ‘N Cheese is a great recipe for lots of different occasions, or just for a fun weekday meal. I would love to hear how this recipe turns out for you and how you made it your own. 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!
Green Vegan Mac N Cheese
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 5-6 small cloves garlic
- 6 servings your favorite pasta elbow macaroni, bowties, etc.
- 1 cup frozen peas optional
- 1 cup cashews raw, unsalted
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp miso paste
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- ½ tsp salt to taste
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 3-4 tbsp non-dairy milk as needed
- 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves packed into the cup measure
Instructions
- Roast the cloves of garlic in the oven on 400° for 20 minutes in a drizzle of oil.
- While the garlic is roasting, boil the cashews for 15 minutes and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Cook the frozen peas, if using.
- After the garlic is done roasting, add the cashews, water, nutritional yeast, miso paste, ground mustard, salt, lemon juice, sundried tomatoes, and spinach to your blender. Start with 2 tbsp of the non-dairy milk. Blend the ingredients until smooth and creamy (you will likely need to scrape down the sides as you go.
- Add more non-dairy milk 1 tbsp at a time as needed until you reach a very creamy consistency that also flows a bit. You can also adjust to your preferences by adding more or less non-dairy milk.
- Once blended, combine the sauce, pasta, and peas together and mix. Serve hot. The mac n cheese can be stored well covered in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
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