This Green Lentil Garlicky Mac And Cheese is packed with protein and flavor! Easily made vegan or vegetarian, it's an easy dish the whole family will love.
Who doesn't love comfort food? Of course we all have our personal favorites... but it's pretty safe to say that Mac and Cheese is somewhere in everyone's list. Because it's cheesy, satisfying and delicious, yes. But also because can be made in so many different ways.
The Mac and Cheese we're sharing today is all that, and also nutritious. We love using pulse pastas, because they add tons of plant based protein and are high in fiber. For this recipe we used Green Lentil Penne by Explore Cuisine, which contains 13 grams of protein, is loaded with vitamins and minerals and is also gluten free.
We made this Mac and Cheese vegan by using dairy free cream cheese and shredded cheese, but you can easily swap it for dairy cheese if you prefer. However you choose to prepare it, this recipe is super comforting and has a great punch of flavor from the fresh basil and garlic. And because it's made in individual ramekins, it allows for portion control as well 😉
Enjoy!
PrintGreen Lentil Garlicky Mac And Cheese
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 8oz Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Penne
- ½ cup vegan or dairy cream cheese
- ½ cup vegan or dairy shredded cheese
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- â…› tsp black pepper
- 6 tbsp vegan or dairy cheese to sprinkle on top, divided
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according the directions on the package. Drain well
- While the pasta cooks, combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, basil, olive oil, garlic. salt and pepper in the food processor and pulse until creamy
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Coat 4 6 oz ramekins with cooking spray
- Transfer the warm, drained pasta to a large bowl. Add the cheese mixture and mix well, so the pasta is well coated. Spoon the pasta into the ramekins, and top each one with 1 ½ tablespoons of shredded cheese
- Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve warm
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Entree
Marc says
Lentils and mac and cheese? Interesting. Have to try this one!
Vicky & Ruth says
Thanks Marc. Actually the pasta is high protein and made with lentil. Really awesome! Enjoy!!