thank you BY CHLOE <3
Good afternoon! How's your Monday going? If you're looking for a pick me up, I hope this super creamy, Sweet Potato Mac & "cheese" will give you a boost. Check out those silky noodles, topped with some cashew parm & crispy shiitake bacon! I kid you not when I say I ate this everyday for the last 5 days. Srsly.
If you're a fan of "By Chloe" like I of course am, it's no surprise that this Mac & Cheese dish is a complete replica of theirs. As I've mentioned 1,000,000 times, it's one of my favorite take-out spots, and everything on the menu is pure gold. Like this. When the chef shared this dish with us on Coveteur.com, I HAD to make it. Literally ran to the store from work, grabbed the few ingredients I was missing, and bolted home to make it for Ryan and I. And it is exactly like the real deal from By Chloe! If not better, since it's made at home ;)
This Mac & Cheese isn't your typical vegan alternative dish. You know- the one with the fake cheese & a ton of salt. The sauce simply consists of sweet potatoes, cashews, garlic + some spices. You don't need any almond milk or broth, or any weird additives. Funny story: I one time (out of many failed attempts) tried to make a Sweet potato Mac & Cheese, it was horrible. SO bad. I made a whole box of pasta (obviously so hopeful), and a good few pounds of this almond milk based sauce. It was SO SWEET, so almond-y, and just nothing like what I wanted. I tossed the whole thing out (<\3). The smells was stuck in my nose for a week, and the thought of how it tasted just made me nauseous. Ughhhh. BUT the key to being a successful home cook [from what I learned], is to never give up & keep experimenting until you get it juuuuuust right. Or in this case, until they release the secret recipe. SO thankful!
Please give this recipe a shot, whether you're vegan or not. It is SO good and makes a TON of sauce. Perfect to make a large batch on a weekend (or one night after work since it's simple), and heat up the sauce and noodles throughout the week when you get in late but you're starving. It takes super quick! My kinda meal. ANNDDD I promise you that you will not feel bloated and sick after you eat a few bowls since it isn't real cheese or dairy. Guilt free! + best when served with a large plate O' fries ;) Thanks for reading! xx S.
| Vegan |
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 1 pound/box of shell pasta
- 2 Tbs of vegan butter, divided
- 1 lb of sweet potatoes, boiled & mashed lightly
- 1 cup of raw cashews (soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes)
- 2 Tsp of sea salt
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp of ground mustard seed
- 2 Tbs of light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
- Shiitake bacon, to top
- Vegan Parmesan, to top
PREPARE: Begin by soaking your cashews, and preparing your sweet potatoes. I peeled, diced into cubes, and boiled until soft. Then, drained & mashed a little in a separate bowl. While all that's going on, cook your pasta but make sure it's al dente. It'll cook a bit more later, so you don't want soggy noodles. Drain the pasta and toss in a few tablespoons of a neutral oil so it won't stick as it cools. Set aside. Drain & rinse your soaked cashews.
BLEND: Once all that is done, we're going to make the sauce! In a blender, add in the mashed sweet potatoes, cashews, sea salt, garlic, mustard seed, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and 3 cups of water. Puree for a few minutes until super smooth. Mine blended for about 5 minutes!
COOK!: This part requires a bit of measuring since there is SO much sauce and so much pasta. I like to do 2 cups at a time :) Add 2 cups of pasta + 1/2 cup of water. Heat up over high heat, until it begins to boil. Let it cook & stir while boiling for just a minute to heat up the pasta. Now, add 1 tsp of butter & 2/3 cup of your sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook while stirring quite often for just a few minutes. It'll look watery when you first add, but it will thicken as it simmers. You'll notice it's done once sauce has thickened up and noodles are coated in the sauce. Serve with the "bacon", your vegan Parmesan, and some smoked paprika if you're feeling some extra SPICE. Enjoy!
*Notes: As I mentioned above, this makes A TON of sauce! It was enough for over 2 1/2 boxes of pasta throughout the week. Store it for a few days in the fridge, or try cutting in half if you don't want so much. And again, serving with fries is totally a must. And the shiitake bacon. DO NOT leave that out ;)