Vegan mac ‘n’ cheese with buffalo breadcrumbs
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
A vegan mac ‘n’ cheese that's a little extra. A simple vegan cheese sauce is given a flavour boost from sweet potatoes and a spicy, crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Each serving provides 907 kcal, 21g protein, 129g carbohydrate (of which 19g sugars), 32g fat (of which 16g saturates), 8.8g fibre and 3.5g salt.
By Elly Smart
Ingredients
For the mac ‘n’ cheese
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm/1¼in cubes
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- 380ml/13fl oz oat milk
- 180g/6¼oz dried macaroni
- 100g/3½oz vegan smoked cheese, grated
- 2–3 tbsp buffalo sauce, to taste
- ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the buffalo breadcrumbs
- 50g/1¾oz breadcrumbs
- 2–3 tbsp buffalo sauce, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method
To make the mac ‘n’ cheese, cook the sweet potato in a large saucepan of boiling water for around 8–10 minutes, or until the cubes are fork tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour and whisk to combine for 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic granules and season with salt and pepper.
Slowly pour in the oat milk and whisk for 5–10 minutes until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling water according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving 50ml/2fl oz of the pasta cooking water, and set the pasta and the water aside.
Preheat the grill to medium–high.
Add the cheese to the oat milk mixture, followed by the buffalo sauce, Dijon mustard, reserved pasta water and sweet potato. Use a potato masher to crush the sweet potato into the sauce. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce and transfer to a 1 litre/1¾ pint baking dish.
To make the breadcrumbs, mix the breadcrumbs with the buffalo sauce and oil. Sprinkle over the mac ‘n’ cheese and place under the grill for 3–5 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.
