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Sweet Potato Vegan Mac and Cheese

Sweet potato vegan mac and cheese gets its creamy texture from blended sweet potato, cashews, and oat milk. Toss the smooth sauce with elbow macaroni over low heat until it coats every piece and is hot throughout.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pasta
  • 4 qt water divided
  • 4 cup water divided
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt divided
  • 1 tsp kosher salt divided
  • 12 oz elbow macaroni
  • 0.25 cup pasta cooking water reserved
For the sauce
  • 1 sweet potato medium, about 10 ounces, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 0.5 cup cashews raw
  • 1 cup oat milk unsweetened plain
  • 0.33 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp onion powder
  • 0.25 tsp smoked paprika

Equipment

  • 1 blender

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring 4 quarts of the water to a boil in a 6-quart pot.
  2. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the salt.
  3. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions until al dente.
  4. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
  5. Drain the pasta.
Make the sauce
  1. Put the sweet potato and cashews in a 2-quart saucepan with the remaining 4 cups water.
  2. Bring the water to a boil.
  3. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potato is fork-tender and the cashews are soft.
  4. Drain the sweet potato and cashews.
  5. Blend them with the oat milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt until completely smooth.
Combine and serve
  1. Return the pasta to the pot over low heat.
  2. Add the sauce and reserved pasta water.
  3. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce coats the pasta and is hot throughout.

Notes

For the smoothest sauce, blend until completely smooth before combining with the pasta. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days; freezing is possible, though the sauce texture may change. Unsweetened plain soy milk can replace the oat milk.