Vegan Baked Miso Mac and Cheese (with Togarashi Crumb)
My take on a classic dish, this Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese features a secret ingredient: white miso paste! Complete with a creamy vegan cheese sauce, pasta of your choice, and a spicy togarashi crumb topping, this Holiday side dish truly has it all.
Servings: 6 people
Equipment
- Baking Dish 5x7"
- blender
Ingredients
Miso Cheese Sauce
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup carrot peeled and diced
- 1 cup yellow onion
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup russet potato diced
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8-10 oz pasta of choice
Togarashi Breadcrumb
- 1 1/2 cups cornflakes unsweetened
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2-3 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 tsp white miso paste
- 1-2 tsp ichimi togarashi adjust to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 stalks green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
Preparing the Miso Cheese Sauce
- Start by bringing 2 cups of water to a boil. Pour into a small bowl and add raw cashews, making sure they are completely submerged in the water. Let soak for 10 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and set aside.
- Bring a medium pot of filtered water to a boil and add carrot, onion, potato and garlic. Boil for 8 minutes or so, until veggies are fork tender, then drain and transfer the veggies to a blender.
- Add soaked cashews, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, miso paste, garlic powder and smoked paprika to the blender. Blend until completely smooth, then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and once cooked, transfer to a heat safe baking dish. Add your sauce, stir to combine and set aside.
- At this point, preheat your oven to 350F while you prepare your breadcrumb.
Prepare Togarashi Breadcrumb
- Thinly slice garlic cloves using a mandolin.
- Melt down butter in a shallow pan over medium heat and add garlic to the pan before the butter starts to sizzle. Stir continuously, keeping an eye on the garlic slices and as soon as they start to brown slightly, remove from the heat. Transfer to a paper towel and season with a pinch of salt.
- Transfer the remaining butter in the pan into a small bowl and whisk in miso paste until smooth. Set aside.
- Add garlic chips, cornflakes, togarashi and salt and pepper to taste to a food processor and pulse until an even crumb forms. Transfer the mixture to a bowl then pour in the miso butter mixture and stir to create your crumb topping.
- Generously top your sauced up pasta with the breadcrumb mixture then transfer the dish to the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until topping is nicely golden brown and sauce is bubbling. Top with sliced scallions to garnish and enjoy immediately.
Notes
Secrets to Success
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use your favorite brand of gluten-free pasta. Some good options include elbow macaroni, penne, or another short pasta of your choice.
- If you’re looking for a stovetop version of mac and cheese, check out this High Protein Vegan Mac and Cheese.