if you are looking for a way to get in lots of green veggies but still enjoy the comfort of mac and cheese this creamy green vegan mac & cheese is for you. a blended purée of peas, spinach, broccoli, leeks, and garlic give a beautiful color and of course of lots of nutrients. recipe is completely vegan, gluten free, soy free, and nut free.
This green vegan mac & cheese is the fourth recipe in my Eat Your Greens series. I really wanted to give you all delicious recipes and ways to enjoy your green veggies. So, I figured there is no better way than with pasta! This creamy green vegan mac & cheese is kind of a mix between vegan mac and cheese with a bit of a pesto feel. The peas and leeks add a bit of sweetness which I personally enjoyed. I think the best part is you can’t even taste the spinach and broccoli, great for picky eaters! Then of course you get all the goodness and comfort of the vegan cheese, I promise you’re going to love this.
Blend It Up!
The most crucial part of this recipe is the blending. If you don’t blend all the veggies well, it doesn’t form a smooth sauce which kind of takes away from the comfort of this dish. My favorite blenders are my Vitamix and my Ninja Smoothie Bowl Maker, both are high speed and work really well. If you don’t have a high speed blender it should be fine in a regular blender it may just require some extra blending time and liquid. If you are using a smaller blender you may need to blend in batches.
The Vegan Cheese
This recipe uses not 1 but 3 different kinds of vegan cheese! A shredded vegan cheddar, shredded vegan mozzarella, and vegan parmesan. There are a lot of amazing brands out there now. In this specific recipe I used Field Roast Chao Shreds (I considered this to be a more mozzarella style cheese), the 365 Plant Based Cheddar Shreds, and the Go Veggie Parmesan. There are so many brands out there now so just use whatever you like!
Check Out The Other Recipes From Eat Your Greens
Green Vegan Mac & Cheese FAQ
- What pasta do you use? My favorite gluten free pasta is Banza. I used the rigatoni for this dish.
- Any other veggies you can include? You can really add anything you like in but I think some zucchini or onion would be delicious in here.
- What vegan butter do you use? I do love the Miyokos vegan butter *it contains nuts so if you are have a nut allergy Earth Balance is also great.
- How to store leftovers? This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. It should also be fine to freeze.
- What to eat it with? I would pair this with some crispy tofu or tempeh.
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Green Vegan Mac & Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon (7ml) olive oil
- ½ large leek (about 3.5 ounces/95g), thinly sliced
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic
- 1 broccoli crown (about 7 ounces/195g), cut into small pieces
- 3 cups (127g) fresh spinach
- ¼ cup (30g) pickled jalapeño
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) pickled jalapeño brine
- ½ cup (85g) frozen peas thawed
- 2 cups (480ml) nondairy milk, divided, unsweetened and unflavored
- 1 tablespoon (14g) vegan butter
- ½ cup (56g) vegan cheddar shreds
- ½ cup (56g) vegan mozzarella shreds
- ¼ cup (28g) vegan parmesan
- 2 tablespoons (10g) nutritional yeast
- Salt to taste
- 8 ounces (227g) pasta of choice
Instructions
- In a medium pot add the broccoli and add enough water to cover it. Cover with a lid and boil on high for about 10 minutes. The broccoli should be soft, drain any excess liquid.
- Meanwhile, In a large pan sauté the leeks and garlic in oil for about 7 minutes over medium heat. Sauté until fragrant and softened. Garlic is fine to be left whole since we are blending it.
- Into a blender add the boiled broccoli, sautéed leeks and garlic, spinach, pickled jalapeño, the jalapeño brine, peas. and half of the nondairy milk. Blend on high until it is smooth and pureed.
- In the same large pan you sautéed the leeks in add the vegan butter and let it melt over low heat, about 5 to 7 minutes. Once melted add in the remaining non dairy milk, vegan cheeses, and nutritional yeast. Cook over low heat until everything is melted down and smooth. Then add in the pureed veggies from blender and mix together.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot boil the pasta in salted water until cooked to your liking.
- Allow the cheese sauce to cook and stir occasionally with a spatula while the pasta boils (about 8 to 10 minutes). Feel free to taste it and add any salt or seasonings to your preference.
- Once pasta is done strain it and add it to your sauce. Mix together.
- Serve warm immediately and add extra vegan parmesan on top and microgreens if desired.
Video
Notes
- I used 1 box of Banza (which is only 8 ounces) there is enough cheesy sauce that you could use up to 12 to 16 ounces of pasta if you like. The more pasta the less saucy it will be.
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trust me when I say you guys need to try this one!! and it is so perfect for picky kids.