Vegan Green Mac’n’Cheese with Crispy Bacon
What can we say – we love comfort food! And when summer’s just around the corner, we turn our classics into lighter, fresher versions. Our green vegan Mac’n’Cheese remains rich and ultra-creamy, but the fresh green cheese sauce makes it perfect for summer.
For the perfect crunch and the ultimate BBQ vibe, we toss in crispy vegan bacon and grilled veggies. Does this sound like summer on a plate? Oh yes!
Our vegan cheese sauce is cashew-based and gets its cheesy flavor from nutritional yeast and its vibrant green color from peas and fresh herbs. A splash of lemon juice adds a fresh, zesty twist – perfect for warm days. And, of course, this recipe wouldn’t be complete without the vegan bacon chunks from Bunte Burger. They bring that satisfying bite and the ultimate smoky-savory bacon flavor. For us, they’re a must at every grill party this summer. But they’re not just great in our green Mac’n’Cheese: they also shine on vegan wild garlic spaetzle with feta & bacon, in spaghetti carbonara, or in vegan pan-fried potatoes.
But back to our green Mac’n’Cheese: For the grilled veggies, we used zucchini, bell peppers, and onions—but of course, feel free to switch it up with whatever you like.
And if you don’t have macaroni on hand – no worries! The sauce works well with spaghetti, linguine, penne, and more. The other day, we tried it with spaghetti at the office—it turned out amazing. So, head to the kitchen and enjoy cooking!
Vegan Green Mac’n’Cheese with Crispy Bacon
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 250 g (9 oz) potatoes (waxy)
- 1 small carrot
- 1 onion
- 150 g (5.3 oz) cashew nuts
- 75 g (2.6 oz) frozen peas
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder
- 15 g (0.5 oz) fresh herbs
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) vegan cooking cream
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp light miso paste
- 0.5 lemon (juice)
- salt
- pepper
For the grilled vegetables:
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 onion
- 0.25 tsp paprika powder (sweet)
- 0.25 tsp onion powder
- salt
- pepper
- oil for pan-frying
Additionally:
- 150 g (5.3 oz) vegan bacon chunks (e.g. Bunte Burger)
- 500 g (17.6 oz) pasta (e.g. macaroni)
Instructions
Peel the potatoes, carrots, and onions, then cut them into large chunks. Place them in a pot with the cashew nuts, cover with water, add salt, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft. Add the frozen peas about 5 minutes before the cooking time is up. Then drain.
Place the cooked vegetables, fresh herbs, cooking cream, nutritional yeast, miso paste, and lemon juice into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend into a creamy sauce. Add more cooking cream if desired to achieve the preferred consistency. Return the sauce to the pot and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.
Cut the bell pepper, zucchini, and onion into bite-sized pieces. Sauté them in a pan with oil, then season with paprika powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. The vegetables should be nicely browned but still crisp.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Crisp up the vegan bacon chunks in a pan.
Mix the pasta with the creamy sauce and the bacon chunks. Serve with the grilled vegetables.
