High-Protein Vegan Mac and Cheese

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This week, I asked my new group, "Cooking and Eating with Haggai Leffler": What recipe would you like to see on the blog?

A Few Things About This Vegan Mac and Cheese

As I mentioned, the sauce starts with cooked cauliflower and silken tofu.

Silken tofu is very soft, with a texture similar to panna cotta. It has a higher water content than regular tofu, so it also has fewer calories by weight.

You can't swap regular tofu for silken tofu in this recipe. Sorry.

And no, you can't swap out the cauliflower either.

At that point, you might just want a different recipe.

To give the sauce that lovely orange color you see in traditional mac and cheese

(which gets its color from orange cheddar), I added one small sliced carrot. You can use a little sweet potato or pumpkin instead, or leave it out entirely.

The cheesy flavor comes from seasonings like nutritional yeast, nutmeg, and mustard. A little white miso or some water-soaked cashews can also work as alternatives for that savory flavor.

Now, for the main event: the pasta.

I used Felicia red lentil pasta. This isn't sponsored.

It has a nice amount of protein and is gluten-free.

But no matter how long you cook it, it seems determined to stay al dente forever. In other words, it never really gets soft.

If that texture isn't your thing, take a look at how much protein is in whole-wheat pasta. I promise you'll be surprised. 🙂

Nutrition

One serving of pasta (sauce + pasta), out of 4 servings, weighing 350 g (12.3 oz), contains:

• 380 calories
• 42 g carbohydrates
• 26 g protein
• 12 g fat

One 250 g (8.8 oz) serving of sauce (without pasta) contains:

• 107 calories
• 11 g carbohydrates
• 11 g fat
• 10.5 g protein

Want another pasta sauce recipe? Click here.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Calories 380 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 head small cauliflower 700 g (1.5 lb)
• 1 whole small carrot, peeled 50 g (1.8 oz)
• 1 package silken tofu 340 g (12 oz)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 10 ml (0.34 fl oz)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 20 g (0.7 oz)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 20 g (0.7 oz)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 level teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A little salt
• 250 g (8.8 oz) lentil pasta, uncooked I used Felicia pasta.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Cut the cauliflower into florets.

3. Slice the carrot into rounds.

4. Cook the cauliflower and carrot in a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes, until softened.

5. The carrot and cauliflower should be very soft.

6. Add the tofu, olive oil, nutritional yeast, mustard, crushed garlic, nutmeg, and salt to a food processor or blender.

7. Drain the cauliflower and carrot and add them to the food processor.

8. Blend thoroughly until the sauce is smooth, creamy, and lightly orange.

9. Transfer the sauce to a bowl.

10. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

11. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the sauce.

12. Mix well until the pasta is completely coated in sauce.

13. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the pasta is lightly browned on top.

14. Dig in while it's hot!

Recipe Video