Dairy-free mac and ‘cheese’ uses plant-based milk for creamy sauce

A recipe from Jessica Seinfeld’s Vegan, at Times:

I have served this to nonvegans and they always go for seconds. I use cashew or almond milk for their mild flavour, but you can always experiment with other plant-based milks.

Macaroni and Cheese

Makes: Six servings Total time: 55 minutes Active time: 35 minutes

For the macaroni and cheese:

1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for pasta water

1 lb short pasta, such as cavatappi, elbows or small shells

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5 Tbsp all-purpose flour

4 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew or almond milk

16 oz (4 cups) shredded plant-based cheddar cheese (We like Violife)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

For the breadcrumb topping:

1 cup panko or coarse dried breadcrumbs 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, for serving

Position the oven rack about eight inches from the top and heat the oven to 400 F.

Make the macaroni: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then salt it. Add the pasta and cook until it’s a few minutes short of al dente (it will continue to cook in the oven). Drain into a colander and pass under cold running water to stop the cooking. Shake out any excess water.

Meanwhile, to make cheese sauce, in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about three minutes to cook out raw flavour of the flour. Add 1 cup of the milk and whisk until it forms a smooth paste. Continue to whisk in the remaining milk a little at a time, at first, to avoid lumps. Let the mixture reach a simmer while whisking often, paying attention to the corners where the flour can collect.

Remove from the heat and add the cheese, nutritional yeast, dry mustard, the 1/2 tsp salt, the black pepper, and the cayenne pepper. Whisk until creamy and smooth. Add the pasta and stir well to coat. Taste for salt; you may want to add a little more. Scrape the mixture into a nineby-13-inch baking dish.

Make the breadcrumb topping: In a small bowl stir together the breadcrumbs, oil, salt, and pepper. Grate in the garlic and stir to combine.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Then turn on the broiler and broil for one to three minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Let cool for five minutes before serving and sprinkle the with parsley.

— Excerpted from Vegan, at Times by Jessica Seinfeld with Sara Quessenberry. Reproduced by permission of Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.