Cashew Mac and Cheese

Cashew Mac and Cheese

This is genuinely one of our all-time favourite comfort food recipes and we make it on repeat. There's something about a creamy, dreamy cashew cheese sauce coating perfectly cooked pasta that just hits different, especially on a weeknight when you need something that feels indulgent but is secretly doing you loads of good. We've loaded it up with smoky roasted mushrooms, crispy kale and jammy balsamic tomatoes because honestly, mac and cheese deserves toppings. The whole thing comes together in about 35 minutes and it tastes like you've been cooking for hours. Make it tonight, trust us.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Blender
  • Baking dish for mushrooms
  • Baking dish for kale & tomatoes
  • Soak 120g cashews in hot water for 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp liquid smoke
  • 240g chestnut mushrooms
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 300g kale
  • 240g cherry tomatoes
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp plant-based butter
  • 4 tbsp Nooch
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ white onion
  • 600ml soy milk
  • 120g plain flour
  • Juice of 1 lemon juice of
  • ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 80ml Aquafaba - (1/2 tin chickpea juice)
  • cashew milk - 120g cashews & 240ml water blended
  • macaroni pasta cooked - for 4 people
  • sunflower seeds
  • 1 handful of kale

Method

1

For the mushrooms

  • Chop the mushrooms, spread them in a baking dish and drizzle with the liquid smoke, maple syrup, oil & salt, making sure each sliced shroom is coated
  • Roast for 20 minutes
2

Roast the veg

  • Place the kale and tomatoes in a dish, drizzle with oil and salt, and pour the balsamic vinegar over just the tomatoes
  • Roast for 8 minutes
3

Make the sauce

  • In a pan, heat the dairy-free butter, onions and soy milk and bring to the boil
  • Remove from heat and pour into a blender, along with the flour, nutritional yeast, aquafaba, lemon juice, cider vinegar, mustard and cashew milk
  • Blend until smooth
4

Mix everything together

  • Pour the mix back into a pan and heat until it thickens slightly
  • Stir in the cooked macaroni and the roasted mushrooms, kale and tomatoes from earlier
5

Time to serve

  • Serve and garnish with more kale and sunflower seeds
  • OR... If you're pushed for time, you can order this dish from the Allplants website!

Tips & Variations

  • Get ahead on the cashews: We always soak the cashews for at least a couple of hours before blending, or even overnight if you remember. It makes the sauce so much smoother and creamier. If you're short on time, pour boiling water over them and leave for 20 minutes.
  • Swap the toppings: Henry loves swapping the kale for spinach if that's what's in the fridge. It wilts down beautifully and still gives you that green veg hit without any extra effort.
  • Dial up the smoke: Ian always sneaks in a bit more liquid smoke on the mushrooms than the recipe says. If you love that deep, almost bacon-y flavour, go for it. Start small though because it's pretty intense stuff.

Why This Works

The trick here is the cashew sauce. Blended cashews give you this incredibly rich, velvety texture that coats the pasta just like a proper cheese sauce would, but without any dairy. What really makes it sing is layering those smoky roasted mushrooms on top because that depth of flavour is doing a lot of heavy lifting and makes the whole bowl feel really satisfying and complete.