WOW! Very Impressed!! We are not a vegan family but my daughter wanted to make this for her friend who can't eat dairy... I was very skeptical but everyone loved it!! The sauce has a unique flavor- don't skip the miso, that's what adds the umami! I used red miso because I had it on hand and spinach in place of the argula... I did find that it was a lot of sauce per 8 oz of noodles, a box of 14.5 oz noodles would also work. Fabulous, thanks!
I'm a cheese addict, so I was pleasantly surprised at how satisfying this no-cheese mac is. And my Vitamix blew through those cashews, even without soaking them first. I added a touch more miso. Pro tip: You really do want to serve this immediately. The sauce congeals a little as it sits. But when piping hot, it's great.
I hate when people make changes to a recipe and then review it, but my changes were very minor and even without them, I would still rate it five stars! This is my first vegan recipe and I'm in love!
I added 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper to the sauce and doubled (or maybe even trippled the arugula - added during the last minute of boiling the pasta. I couldn't find white miso, so I used red. I also threw in a can of cannellini beans for more protein and sprinkled additional nutritional yeast on top before serving.
Delicious! And so quick and easy to put together! We highly recommend this recipe. We are new to plant based eating so we still have a taste for real cheese, and this recipe did not disappoint us. It's great that this combo of ingredients can result in such a truly cheesy and satisfying flavor, because we don't want to feel too deprived of creamy rich foods on this plant based diet. We have a cheap Kitchenaid blender, not a Vitamix, so I did soak the cashews for two hours. I poured boiling water over them to try to jumpstart that process. Also, we only had expired bottled lemon juice, and it was still delicious, so you don't have to run to the store to pick up a fresh lemon (although I'm sure it would be even better with fresh lemon juice). I used Better than Bouillon brand Seasoned Vegetable Base for the broth, Now brand Nutritional Yeast Flakes, and Hikari Miso brand Organic Mild Sodium Miso. We put a lot of Frank's Red Hot Sauce on at the table, so I will try adding that directly to the sauce next time. Finally, we also threw in a bunch of steamed broccoli, and there was plenty of sauce to cover both the pasta and veg. I may also try adding some mustard powder, nutmeg, cayenne, and/or turmeric in the future - I'll try to remember to add an updated review at that point to say how those additions worked out.
I thought this WAS very satisfying as other reviewers have mentioned. I'm switching to a vegan lifestyle so cheese without dairy is still new to me. Remember to mix up the pasta with the sauce and not just eat a big spoonful of sauce. The thinning out (mixing it with the pasta) is important to the taste.
Followed the recipe with the exception of using light miso instead of white miso (is there a difference? not sure!!) and my dairy allergy and I are THRILLED. This is SO GOOD!!! I was fully expecting to get something so far from cheese and I'm honestly almost borderline emotional over how much it genuinely tastes like cheese..
This is truly tasty! I substituted garlic powder for the onion powder (I prefer garlic flavor to onion) but that's my only mod. I mixed the finished sauce with bowtie pasta and peas and it was a fine substitute for Alfredo sauce. I think I could even serve this to my 95-year-old meat-and-dairy-eating father and he wouldn't know it's dairy free. I highly recommend and will definitely make this again. I had plenty of leftover sauce (because I cooked up just a small amount of pasta) and the leftovers will be awesome as a dip or sauce with roasted veggies. Next up: Isa's French Onion Dip!
I didn’t have miso and it still turned out great! Also forgot lemon juice a couple times and it was still good. Not too complicated either.
I love this. Very addicting. Made this recipe 10 times. Paired with regular, chickpea, or cauliflower pasta. If looking for a spicier version add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1 tsp smoky paprika. Delish!
I REALLY wanted to enjoy this recipe as I am trying my hand at some vegan dishes. It was a bit too sour for my liking after adding the required amount of lemon juice. I did think that the sauce had a cheese-like texture, so I'll give it that. I wasn't able to find the white miso so I skipped that altogether and then I didn't even get to use any greens because after I mixed and tasted the sauce with the pasta, it just wasn't there in flavor. Thanks for the recipe suggestion. I'm glad I was able to try it at least.
