Baked Mac n Cheese

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Mmm, mac'n'cheese.  Just saying it takes me back to my childhood.  A quintessential comfort food, along with grilled cheese and tomato soup, one taste brings me back to days of romping through fallen leaves with the other 11-year-old kids, tearing through the house from one door to another, and running inside just in time for mac'n'cheese with sliced up hot dogs.

Now that I'm grown up, my tastes (as well as lifestyle into ethical eating) have changed: usually I am more interested in dishes with more vegetables and fruits.  However, there are days when I want the familiarity of comfort food, but still crave more sophistication than classic boiled pasta with cheese powder mixed into it.

I have experimented with vegan versions of Baked Mac and Cheese, and found two methods of making this delicious comfort food.

Note that I made a very large recipe, then altered half of it during the mixing stage for experimentation, so if you're cooking for a small group and not planning on freezing a lot, you may wish to halve the recipe.

A great thing about this recipe is it doesn't have to be exact: a number of times I've made it and lacked an ingredient, and it was still very good with a substitute or with the ingredient left out completely.  For example, I've made it without the paprika, and most recently I ran out of powdered mustard, so I threw some mustard seed in my coffee grinder and used that instead.

It always helps to lay out everything in advance.  For ingredients that go in at the same time, I throw them in a bowl together.  That way I can mix everything quickly, and also I know if I'm missing something and need to decide whether to substitute or run to the store.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb macaroni
• 5 T flour
• 5-6 C unsweetened coconut milk (SoDelicious or Trader Joe's are good brands)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T egg replacer, mixed (optional)
• 2 T sea salt (usually I put in half as much and then add a sprinkle to my bowl, so other people don't have to have more salt in their food than they want.)
• Dash of fresh ground pepper
• 8 T vegan margarine (Smart Balance Organic or Earth Balance are good)
• 2 T powdered mustard
• 1 C diced yellow onion
• 1 t liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 t paprika
• 1 package "Chreese" mix and 1 oz firm or sprouted tofu
• OR 12 oz Daiya cheddar shreds
• 2 C panko bread crumbs
• Red Pepper flakes (optional) to sprinkle after serving.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease 2 8x10 baking dishes.
3. Lightly salt water and boil.  Add pasta and cook 5-8 minutes until al dente.
4. Mash the tofu with a fork.
5. Remove 2 T from the margarine to toast the bread crumbs.  You can toast them at the start or at the end.
6. Melt margarine in a separate pot.  Usually I start mine in a small pot and then transfer to a large pot for the later steps, in order to prevent burning.
7. Whisk in the flour and mustard until all lumps are dissolved, stirring for a total of about 5 minutes.
8. Stir in coconut milk, onion, bay leaves, and paprika.
9. Bring to a simmer: after 10 minutes of simmering, remove the bay leaves.
10. Stir in the egg substitute (if using), tofu, Chreese mix, salt, and pepper.
1. If using Daiya instead of tofu and Chreese, only stir in about 3/4 of it.
11. Mix macaroni into the cheese sauce, making sure it's thoroughly mixed.
12. Scoop into dishes.
1. Here is where I split the recipe, scooping half into one dish, then mixing in the liquid smoke to the other half, and placing it in the other baking dish.
13. If using Daiya, sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
14. Cover completely with the toasted bread crumbs.
15. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool to comfort level (about 5 minutes) before serving.

 
 
I had only one square 8x10 baking pan, so I used a heart-shaped pan for half of my baked mac'n'chreese. Because I love it so much. And because I had no choice. And because it helped me remember which half had the liquid smoke flavoring. Take your pick. =)

 
Mmm, cheesy and crunchy!

Aside from the Daiya vs Chreese variation, I have wondered about making a gluten-free version but have yet to do so.  Substituting Masa corn flour is easy enough, and actually tastes a bit better.  I usually buy the GF Chreese no matter what I'm making, since it's the same price and just as good.  The bread crumbs are more difficult, as I have yet to taste a gluten-free vegan bread that is edible, but I find that tossing some puffed kamut (cereal isle) and rice cakes into my food processor makes a passable crumb topping.  The trick to the pasta will be finding one that won't fall to pieces under all the demands of this recipe.

 Oh, also, you could use veggie dogs if you like, but I find that they are a weird combination with baked mac'n'cheese, so I don't recommend it.

Last updated: 21 Feb. 2012