Mac n Cheese – what’s not to love?
Don’t you just love Mac n Cheese? On a chilly night? Or maybe after a long day? Maybe you also enjoy it as a cheesy side at a BBQ? Well, here is a tasty vegan mac and cheese recipe that gives you all the comfort, but none of the guilt. And guess what else? This recipe comes with a twist – check out the way that roast beets make this pasta pop! Macaroni and cheese doesn’t have to look bland. I mean, look at that bright pink chickpea pasta!
Do you wanna be a hero?
The hero of this dish is absolutely the creamy, delicious sauce. To start with, the sauce binds everything together. Mac n cheese should be creamy, but not runny. You want every mouthful to have the “bite” of macaroni and the “smoosh” of perfect cashew cheese.
In addition, the cheesy macaroni sauce is where all of the flavor lives! To begin with, we create some smooth, nutty cashew cheese to serve as a base. Next, we mix in plenty of nutritional yeast (or “nooch” if you like) to create that cheesy, savory flavor. Finally, don’t forget our good friends salt and pepper. By the time you’re done, you will forget this macaroni and cheese is vegan!
Make it POP!
Since you’re already cooking, why not go the extra mile with colorful roast beets? This addition really gives the mac n cheese sauce a “WOW” factor. We really love the bright pink POP that beets bring to a pasta dish. I guarantee that your guests will jump straight on it! Hopefully, the kids will love it as well!
That beautiful pink also needs a complementary color to play off. We added baby kale, which adds some bright green and cuts through the richness of the mac n cheese just a little.
Did you realize this was healthy, too?
No matter who is eating this gorgeous vegan mac and cheese, they’ll be getting a lot of “bang for their bite”. We use chickpea pasta, which is rich in protein and also gluten-free! In addition, the cashew cheese provides all sorts of healthy and satisfying fats. Last but not least, the nooch adds a biiiiiig dose of B-vitamins to every serving, so tuck in!
Now there’s nothing else for you to do but start cooking! Feel free to make a big batch of this cheesy beet pasta – because this baby can be made ahead of time and warmed up just when you need it. Enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? Let us know what you think with a comment and rating! Every bit of feedback helps make the blog even better!
Print
Mac n Cheese with Roast Beets | Vegan
- Total Time: 35 minutes to 1 hour, 20 minutes (depending on method used to cook beets) + soaking time
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
An easy, breezy, CHEESY vegan mac n cheese recipe. Cashew cheese, nutritional yeast, beets and kale combine to make a super healthy, super delicious meal!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 medium beets (approx. 1 cup), peeled and cut in half*
- 8oz / 227grams chickpea pasta
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 cups baby kale or spinach
Instructions
- Add raw cashews to a small bowl, cover with water and soak overnight in the fridge. If you don’t have time to soak the raw cashews overnight, soak them while preparing the beets.
- Prepare beets (use one of the following options).
- Oven: Preheat oven to 375F / 190C. Wrap beets in foil and roast for 45 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.
- Microwave: Wrap beets in parchment paper and place in a bowl with a tiny splash water. Cook on high for 10 minutes or until beets are tender. Set aside to cool.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Keep warm in pot while preparing cashew cheese sauce.
- Transfer cooked beets, drained cashews, water, nutritional yeast, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder and salt into a high powdered blender or food processor, and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
- Pour beetroot cashew cheese sauce over the cooked chickpea pasta, then add baby kale/spinach, and stir well to combine. Enjoy 😀
Notes
- *Make this recipe quicker by preparing the beets ahead of time. Cooked beets will keep in the fridge for a couple of days without any issues. Alternatively, you could use store bought roast beets!
- Nutritional information is to be used as a guide only as calories and nutrition vary between products and brands worldwide.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes to 1 hour, 10 minutes
Keywords: mac n cheese, mac n cheese with beets, mac n cheese pink
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll make a small commission if you purchase using these links. The price you pay as a consumer does not change.
5 Responses
Amazing- we make this whenever we want to spice up our normal vegan Mac and we use the leftover beets all week. Once of my favorite root veggies and therefore my favorite recipe week. We add broccoli to this and sometimes a bit of veggie stock or plant milk instead of the water to make it a bit richer. So good! So vibrant and fun!
★★★★★
That’s so cool! So glad your enjoy this fun recipe!
My mom and I recreated this dish yesterday and were absolutely blown away by it. Initially we really wanted to try it because (a) we love beets and (b) it’s pink pasta, it’s just so cute ?
And it’s such a quick and easy recipe if you use cooked beets. We put the cashews in water about an hour prior to cooking and it worked great. Not calculating that the dish was finished in 10 mins, so it’s the perfect lunch for me because I usually only have about an hour.
We will both definitely be making this again, it’s so creamy, rich in flavor and filling, and the spinach (we used baby spinach) give it a kind of crunch and freshness as well. Would definitely recommend this recipe and not only to vegans but anyone looking to try something fun and new.
Hi Anouk! Wow thank you so much for your amazing comment! I’m so glad to hear that you and your mom enjoyed the recipe! Yes we also love adding the beets as it makes it pink, delicious and fun! Thanks again ?