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Healthy Plant-Based Mac 'n' Cheese
Salad Therapy

Healthy Plant-Based Mac and Cheese (with no nuts, vegan cheese, oil, or soy!)

4.50 from 4 votes
This healthy plant-based mac and cheese tastes like the kind from the box! Made from a few whole foods ingredients, plus free of oil, nuts, gluten, and soy!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds cashews would work instead; walnuts and almonds would likely work, as well, but I have not tried these in this particular recipe
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 3/4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar white or rice vinegar would probably work, too
  • 2 teaspoons salt (for the sauce)
  • 2 cups water (for the sauce)
  • 16 ounces pasta I prefer quinoa pasta or brown rice pasta, but any whole grain pasta will work

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Fill a pot with water (not included in ingredients above) and bring to boil. Cook pasta of choice according to package instructions without salt.
  2. While your pasta is cooking and has a few minutes left on the stove, put all your sunflower seed cheese sauce ingredients into your blender. Blend until it's smooth and homogenous. There should be no pieces in it.
  3. When your pasta is not quite al dente (nearly finished but not quite), drain it without rinsing, then return to the stove on low to medium-low heat.
  4. Immediately pour your cheese sauce into the pasta, stirring continuously to coat all the pasta in the sauce, as well as to cook the sauce and thicken up the whole concoction a bit. Be careful to stir gently so you don't break the pasta, and make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot regularly so the pasta doesn't stick to the pot.
  5. After stirring for about 3-4 minutes, your pasta should be al dente. When it is, remove it from the stove and serve while hot. Keeps well in the fridge for about a week. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Sodium: 836mgCalcium: 14mgVitamin C: 1mgVitamin A: 87IUSugar: 2gFiber: 7gPotassium: 129mgCalories: 340kcalMonounsaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gFat: 7gProtein: 8gCarbohydrates: 63gIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!