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EASY VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE WITH PEAS

top down, up close view of vegan mac and cheese with peas

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4.8 from 11 reviews

Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas, one of the most ultimate comfort foods enhanced with sweet, tender green peas! No dairy and ready in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16 oz. package pasta (small pasta)
  • 16 oz. package peas (fresh, canned, or frozen)

Cashew Cheese Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (see notes *)
  • just shy of 2 cups very warm/hot water
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot
  • 1 clove garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons white miso paste or 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 teaspoons vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon mineral salt, or to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Pasta & Peas: In a large pot, add water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, add the peas with the pasta to cook. Pasta should be al dente or just fork tender.

Sauce: Add the cashew sauce ingredients to a personal blender or high-speed blender, blend until creamy, about 1 minute.

Assemble: Once pasta and peas have been drained, add back to the pot they were cooked in and add the cashew cheese sauce overtop, stir to combine.

Serves 6 – 8

Notes

*Two ways to soak cashews: Soak in cool water for 2 – 3 hours OR soak in very hot water for 5 minutes. Drain cashews and rinse before using. I usually skip this step but it is beneficial for digestion and to aid in better nutrient absorption. 

You can omit the cornstartch/arrowroot, but it does help keep the cheese sauce ultra creamy.

Salt – This is more than I would usually call for, but it’s best with a good amount of salt to really bring out the flavors. Feel free to adjust the amount, you can always cut the amount in half, adding more later as needed.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I used my NutriBullet for making the cashew cheese base (affiliate links). It’s compact, easy to clean and is great for small jobs like this!