1 cup about 7 ounces chopped Yukon gold potatoes (you can leave the peel on)
¼ cup chopped carrots (about 1 small carrot)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup water
¼ cup raw cashews (soaked for 1-5 hours and drained if you your blender is weak)
2 teaspoons sea salt (use 1 ¾ teaspoons if using Earth Balance)
¼ teaspoon garlic (minced (about 1 medium clove))
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
Steps
In a medium saucepan, add the shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion and water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and put back into the pot.
Put the bread pieces, 1 Tablespoon of butter and paprika in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until combined to a medium-fine texture, set aside.
Place the cashews, salt, garlic, 5 Tablespoons butter, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne in a blender or food processor. Add the softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender or food processor and process until perfectly smooth.
Pour the “cheese” sauce over the cooked pasta and combine until completely coated. Spread the mixture into an un-greased 11 x 8 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown. If you add veggies (such as 1 or 2 cups of blanched cauliflower or broccoli) to the macaroni, cook in a 13 x 9 dish.
Reviews
Boston Peterson on 2026-05-13 (5 stars): your recipe is amazing. all my kids love it, including the one who doesn't like cheese. we have it about once or twice a month and all the kids are excited when i tell them were having it for dinner, and if there is ever leftovers all the kids fight over the leftovers. your wonderful, and so are your recipes!
TC Luisi on 2026-01-29 (5 stars): I have made this recipe numerous times and it's always a hit with vegans and non-vegans alike. I use all organic ingredients and typically make it with Miyokos vegan butter (best flavor I've found on the market without any chemical ingredients).
If one follows the directions, you can't go wrong! Thank you, Pamela for this wonderful recipe. It is a permanent member of our dinner recipe rotation :-)
amandarolat@gmail.com on 2025-02-01 (5 stars): Love this recipe! If we only have a 9x13 dish, but don’t add any veggies to the recipe, do we change the cooking time from an 11x8?
zidane on 2023-03-05 (5 stars): thank you for the recipe
Barbara Lorek on 2021-10-03 (5 stars): Thanks! I made the dish for dinner with a vegetarian friend on Friday night and it came out perfectly! Will definitely make extra sauce next time to store for nachos!
Chelsea on 2021-08-15 (5 stars): Hi! I’ve made this recipe tons of times and love it! Especially with adding whatever veggies I have in the fridge. I have a baby on the way and am thinking of prepping the recipe but then not baking it and freezing it instead. Just wondering if you or anyone else has tried this and how it’s turned out and how long/ what temp to bake it from frozen. Thank you!
