Mac and 'Shews (Vegan Mac and Cheese)

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..

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.

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 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.

This recipe is really good! Will def be making this again. I used spinach instead of arugula :)

I made this! without the arugula or the white miso - it was SO good!! (I just have to remember to let my blender grind the cashews for an ENTIRE minute :D ) - #Tasty

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!

We didn’t have the white miso so I added a touch of white truffle oil & white wine ... my husband doesn’t like nuts at all and he was amazed that it was cashews. This was the yum and we will be making it again!

Definitely will make again! I think I'll add a little less onion powder next time, but that's just for my own preference. Was still great as is in recipe

Don't forget to throw some turmeric in the sauce, for color and nutrition.

Very good recipe ! It was a very fun recipe to make as well ! My mom , a non vegan eater loved it.

Good base recipe; I enjoyed the consistency and loved the arugula in there, but flavor of the sauce was awful! I added 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, as per the recipe, and the whole dish tasted very citrusy. Next time I used 2 tsps of vinegar instead of lemon juice, and it was much better.

Absolutely fabulous. The texture is very similar to a slow cooker mac n cheese. I used a 12oz box of rotini and made half again the sauce (so in proportion to the recipe) and spinach in place of arugula. I also did boil the cashews and used hot broth, so I ended up not needing to cook it at all once adding the sauce to the pasta--I simply stirred in the spinach and covered the pot for a few minutes for the spinach to wilt a little. The spinach was a really nice touch, too!

I wasn’t impressed at all. I substituted tahini for the miso as I was unable to find it. It had a blah flavor and overly thick consistency. I will not make it again.

Nasty. Lemon juice does not go well with Mac.

So so tasty and very easy. Iv happily added this to my usual rotation

I really enjoyed this dish and feel like the texture was spot on. Next time I would use garlic powder instead of onion powder.

Great - easy and quick dinner - my 14 year old liked it!

This is great, and easy for a non-cook, trying-to-go-vegan (already vegetarian) neophyte. I made it for my die-hard non vegetarian husband, (just calling it pasta) and he loved it! I used spinach in place of the arugula. I also don't really like the lemony taste. Made it with less lemon juice, which was better, but I'm going to substitute apple cider or coconut vinegar next time.

I am not sure if anyone else experiences this, but mine tasted a little sour. I followed the recipe minus adding the arugula; I used broccoli. The taste was consistently sour throughout the process. The consistency was nice and creamy though. If you put ketchup on it the taste is better.

I used kale rather then arugula.

My first time making and eating cashew cheese. Mixed it with cauliflower and spinach instead of pasta and arugula. I thought it tasted good, not great. Maybe would have been better with pasta and more salt. I'll definitely make it again.

I made this exactly to the recipe. I find it to be a delicious alternative to the traditional dairy variety.

My husband just found out that he is allergic to dairy. I made this for him and he loved it! The arugula adds great texture. So good! Will make again

Great recipe as written! I added broccoli to mine & used gluten free pene! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

This is a regular favorite for us! Great for satisfying the mac and cheese cravings of the lactose intolerant. Was hard to find miso paste, but it’s so worth the hunt. We eventually found it at an Asian market.

This is so good. thanks for sharing. I did add a can of great northern beans. My non vegan dad and husband liked it!

This recipe really hit the spot. While it does not really replace cheese, it gives you the feel of cheese and a pretty close flavor to it. I did make it as written but wondered if some yellow mustard would give it a classic mac and cheese flavor.

I don’t care for Parmesan cheese so used two others. Smoked Gouda and Cream cheese along with the sharp cheddar. The taste was incredible. Very creamy, rich, smoky with just the right amount of sharp. My husband loved it. I put bread crumbs (pre-made McCormicks Tuscan) garlic and herbs on top minus butter.

Too good to be true. Gross.

Bravo! We are not vegans, but we are trying to eat meatless/vegan a couple meals a week. I did not think this tasted cheesy though, I will save it as "Creamy Pasta" instead. Yum! Never would have thought cashews could give a creamy texture.

So delicious and very easy!! I forgot miso paste so I subbed a tablespoon of wheat farina and some garlic powder. Turned out just as delicious!!

Really good with peppers added