Happy Meatless Monday everybody!
I have an announcement to make. A big one. Well, not for you guys, but for me, definitely. Ready? Here we go…
My family and I are gonna try do go vegan for 30 days.
I know, not a big deal, right? After all, most of our recipes are already vegetarian, so how hard can it be?
Well, it is. Especially because we all LOVE dairy. All kinds. Giving up everything else? No problem. But dairy? Nuh hu. Not easy at all.
Oh, and another thing too. If I’m going to do this, I KNOW I’m gonna have to do major planning. Now THAT will be my biggest challenge. For sure. Planning, ugh! Can’t even say the word without cringing.
I guess I’ll have to use my secret weapon to tackle this one: my little sister. If anyone can help me, she can.
The question is, who’s gonna help her?? Because let me tell you, she has her work cut out for her…
So how about we start the week with a vegan dish? Perfect for meatless Monday. Quick, easy and most importantly, it doesn’t involve too much planning. Perfect!
Looks like we’re off to a good start…
Hope you enjoy it!
Vicky
- ½ pound whole wheat penne or elbow pasta, cooked
- 4 tbsp coconut oil or all natural, non-hydrogenated shortening (we used Earth Balance Natural Shortening)
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 2 cups coconut or almond milk (we use Silk)
- 1 ½ cups shredded vegan cheese (we use Galaxy Nutritional)
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- Salt to taste
- Cooking spray
- Topping:
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Prepare a 9”x 9” square baking dish with cooking spray
- Melt coconut oil or shortening in a large non-stick soup pot
- Add flour. Stir well and let it brown at medium heat for 1-2 minutes
- Add coconut or almond milk, stirring constantly and making sure there are no lumps
- Add salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer
- Add shredded cheese, stir well and cook until all the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened.
- Add cooked pasta, mix well making sure it’s all well coated with the sauce.
- Transfer the pasta to baking dish. Set aside.
- Preheat oven at 400F
- In a small bowl, combine panko bread crumb, oregano, salt and olive oil. Mix well.
- Sprinkle topping all over the pasta.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown
- ENJOY! From May I have that recipe.
I’m not vegan but WOW!! This looks soooo good. I love baked mac n’ cheese – that crunchy top is hard to beat!
Thank you!!!! Coming from you, that really is a compliment!!! We really hope you enjoy it. Thanks again for all your help!!!
I just became vegan and i have been craving mac and cheese…this looks delicous!! i WILL be trying this.
I tried this recipe a few weeks ago and I loved it! Almost better than the “real” thing (not kidding). Everyone loved it and couldn’t even tell that it was vegan! I’m about to make it again right now. Thank you so much for sharing!
You are very welcome! Thank you for trying our recipes!! It makes us so happy to know people enjoy them. That’s the reason we started the blog in the first place!!
I hope you guys keep up the “vegan” lifestyle–your recipes lately are AWESOME. Thanks for submitting to Finding Vegan, that’s how i found you. Keep up the good work, yay!
Thanks!!! We love experimenting and coming up with new recipes. I personally have a lot of fun doing recipe “makeovers” (taking regular recipes and creating the vegan version of them).
So glad you’re enjoying them. We will absolutely keep submitting them to Finding Vegan.
Just an FYI that Daiya is not soy cheese. It’s actually soy-free inaddition to being gluten-free and dairy-free. It’s made from tapioca.
I’ve just come to terms with the fact that I can no longer eat dairy even in small amounts. I’m lactose intolerant, and I love macaroni and cheese. I’ve been wanting some, and I can’t wait to make this recipe tonight. Thank you for your recipe.
Wow! Just pulled out the oven! Awesome! Recipes like this is what has made me and my wife’s transition to the vegan lifestyle much easier! Thanks!
Thank you so much!!! So glad we can help. If you ever have any questions let us know!