There is nothing quite like a bowl of warm, creamy, mac and cheese. It hits all the right places in your belly and soul. But, let’s face it, mac and cheese isn’t typically known as a healthy dinner option. Let alone known as a dairy-free dinner recipe you can easily cook on the regular! Well, think again with this guilt-free, dairy-free mac and cheese recipe.

Why is it Worth Trying This Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese?

Let’s dive right into the reasons you want to try this mac and cheese as your easy dairy-free dinner recipe. 

1. Inexpensive

Once you take our all your base spices from your the spice rack, all you really need is pasta and cauliflower. If you haven’t tried nutritional yeast before, it’s well worth the few dollars you’ll splurge on it.

2. Healthy

Sneaking vegetables into comfort foods is one of our favorite things to do! Not to mention the nutritional yeast in this recipe is packed with vitamin B12 and protein.^[1]

3. Easy and delicious

This quick recipe takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Who said good things only come to those who wait?

Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese Recipe

This dairy-free mac and cheese recipe is healthy and comforting. Not to mention, it’s so simple to make with just a blitz of your blender!

Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Serves: 5 bowls
Equipment: Blender or food processor, strainer, 2 pots, and a mixing spoon

Ingredients

• 500 grams of your favorite macaroni pasta
• A small head of cauliflower (about 10 florets)
• 1 tsp of chili flakes
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 3/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp of paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Chop the cauliflower head into florets, then put them in a pot of boiling water. Ensure the water covers the cauliflower. Boil for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft and can be easily stabbed with a fork.
2. While the cauliflower boils, cook your pasta according to the packaging in some salted water. The pasta and cauliflower should both be finished cooking at about the same time. 
3. Before you strain your pasta, reserve about ½ cup of pasta water to use later in the cheesy sauce.
4. In your blender or food processor, add in the cooked cauliflower, pasta water, turmeric, garlic powder, paprika, chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth, adding in more water if needed one tbsp at a time.
5. Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta. Gently stir together until everything is evenly distributed. Top with some more salt and pepper, plus cilantro.
6. Serve hot.

Expert Tips to Keep in Mind

The most important thing to keep in mind about this dairy-free mac and cheese recipe is that it’s easily adaptable to your tastes. For example, if you want something with a bit more kick, try adding in a few dashes of Tabasco hot sauce to the blender mixture. Or if you’re trying to sneak in more veggies into your kid’s diets, boil a chopped carrot or two in with the cauliflower. It will go mostly unnoticed, but you might want to add in a bit more nutritional yeast to mask the flavor if you have a picky eater.

After you’ve mastered your perfect version of this recipe, don’t forget to share it with your friends. This dairy-free mac and cheese is easy to bring to work potlucks or family events because it’s pretty allergy friendly. If you really want to “wow!” people, sprinkle a half and half mixture of breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast on the top of the finished product. This will give the dish some added texture and even more cheesy flavor.

So, take this tasty and wholesome dish and make it your own!

Conclusion

The next time you’re craving some creamy carbs, but want to a dairy-free dinner recipe, fix up a bowl of this mac and cheese. It might even become your quick, go-to weeknight dinner for family and friends.

References

• [1] https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.php