We’ve looked to the northern Italian region of Piedmont for inspiration when concocting this vegan take on the Italo-American classic: macaroni and cheese. Nestled in the foothills of the Alps, Piedmont’s sprawling forests are a hotspot for truffle hunters, who use carefully-trained dogs to sniff out the prized tubers that lie just beneath the surface of the forest floor.
In honour of Piedmont’s truffle hunters, our onion-infused vegan béchamel is enriched with the addition of earthy black truffle. Despite the absence of dairy, this is a decadent, creamy dish – one that will satisfy both committed vegans and those taking their first steps towards eating more plant-based meals.
Our vegan mac and cheese recipe
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Calories per serving: 583kcal
Ingredients
- 500g dried macaroni, rigatoni or mezze maniche pasta
- 1 tbsp black truffle cream, or truffle oil
- 1 litre unsweetened plant-based milk (e.g. soya, rice, almond, cashew, oat)
- 1 white onion, peeled and cut in half
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 4 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 80g vegan cheese, grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then salt well and stir. Add the pasta, stir again and cook for two minutes less than the packet instructions, or until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, put the onion halves into a saucepan along with the milk and place over medium heat. Let the mixture come to the boil, then remove from the heat and fish out and discard the onion halves, reserving the warmed milk.
- In another saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, then add the flour, stirring constantly until it forms a paste (around 2 minutes).
- Gradually add the warm milk to your paste, whisking constantly until smooth and well combined. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to the boil, then simmer until the sauce thickens (around 10 minutes).
- Stir in the nutritional yeast, vegan cheese and truffle paste/oil, then remove from the heat and season well with salt and pepper.
- Drain the pasta and add to your pan of sauce, stirring to ensure it’s well coated, then transfer to a large ovenproof baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbling and golden in places. Transfer to bowls and serve immediately, buon appetito!
