This dairy free mac and cheese is a lightened up version of the classic dish, and it's just as rich and creamy. No added flour or vegan butter needed!
Servings 6
Author Becky Striepe
Ingredients
2cupsuncooked macaronior your favorite bite-sized pasta
3cupsbroccoli florets
2cupswater
¼cuprolled oats
1tablespoongarlic powder
1tablespoononion powder
½teaspoonsalt
2cupsvegan cheese shreds of your choice
½cupfrench fried onionsoptional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a large stove-to-oven pot (I used my 3.5 quart Dutch oven), cook the macaroni according to package directions. When there are 2 minutes of cooking time remaining, add the broccoli to the pan. Drain, and set aside.
While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, put the water, oats, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt into the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Return the same pot that you used to cook the pasta to the stovetop, and add the oat mixture that you made. Heat on medium high, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes (see note). Turn off the heat, and add the vegan cheese shreds to the pot. Stir until the cheese melts into the sauce.
Transfer the pasta and broccoli to the pot, and fold it into the cheese sauce. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon, then top with the french fried onions, if you're using them.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the fried onions are golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
Video
Notes
Do not leave the oat milk unattended on the stove, because it thickens quickly! It might even thicken before it ever reaches a boil. It's ready when you can ever so briefly see the bottom of the pan when you pull a spoon through the mixture. If the cheese is being stubborn about melting, turn the pan back to low and stir constantly until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. You can add more water, as needed, if the sauce gets too thick for your liking.Nutritional information includes the fried onions, because that's how my family loves this casserole best!