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Orange.
Not the fruit, or the carrot, probably the third most notably orange food, Kraft Dinner! Or if you are American, I believe it is formerly called Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, oh how you woo me with your neon glow. This chemical laden “food” is probably one of the farthest things away from health, but admit it… you secretly have a soft spot for it.
I remember the times when I was first old enough to stay home alone. It would always be a kraft dinner night for me! My mom never fed me the stuff, so it would be a secret (not so secret) victory of being on my own. I felt really talented too. Learning how to balance the cheese powder ratio to the milk and butter ratio, so very proud of myself… Early cooking you might say. Well, at least I knew I wanted my noodles al dente!
Luckily for us, there is no need to give up your favourite orange noodle dish. Throw the KD in the trash, because there is a new orange kid in town. This orange kid is gonna like your body a whole lot more too. No dyes here, the colour comes from red bell peppers. Yeah I know, imagine that, vegetables providing colour to a meal. There is also no gluten (for you gluten free fans), and not even any oil! Instead I made a creamy tangy sauce with all sorts of fresh, healthy ingredients and delicious flavours. The best part? All you have to do is toss everything in your food processor or blender, and then mix with the cooked macaroni. That’s right, it actually takes about the same amount of time to make as the boxed junk! Welcome to guilt free, golden noodle goodness!
Vegan Mac & Cheese (Gluten Free and Oil Free)
Inspired by Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook
(Serves 2-3 people)
1/2 of a White or Yellow Onion
1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper
1 Clove of Garlic
3/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast (yes that much)
1 Tablespoon Tahini
1 Tablespoon Agave (or other sweetener)
1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Cashews
3/4 Cup Non-Dairy Milk of Choice (and More if Needed)
2 Cups Gluten Free Macaroni 
Get a big ‘ol pot of water boiling for your pasta, and boil the pasta according to the package instructions. Remove skin, stems, and seeds from the onion, and garlic. Roughly chop into red pepper, onion and garlic into large chunks. Then toss them in your food processor or blender. 
Now toss everything else: nutritional yeast, tahini, agave, lemon juice, salt, cashews, and 3/4 cups non dairy milk, into the food processor or blender. Blend away baby! Get it as smooth as your machine will allow. 
….I know, by now you must be thinking, oh my, this is soooooo much work, the agony…the pain….. or you may have realized that your pot of water hasn’t even begun thinking of boiling yet and you already have your sauce ready. Well aren’t you all on top of your game today! 
Once the pasta has be cooked drain it, and for a moment leave it in the strainer. Now pour your sauce in the still hot pan that you just boiled your pasta in, and put it back on the heat. Bring sauce to a boil (this will take like 2 minutes). Dump the macaroni back in the pot and stir around. Remove from heat. If it looks a little dry, add a splash or two more of non-dairy milk until your cheese sauce is the constancy you like. Adjust seasoning as you like and serve. 
If you happen to have a lovely turquoise concrete floor, which I think compliments this orange cheesy sauce perfectly, you might just want to set your meal on the floor and take a picture…
Or not, whatever.
Bon Appetegan!
Questions: What’s one of your favourite junk foods? What do you wish was veganized and healthy? What was one of the first meals you would prepare for yourself as a kid? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you 🙂
I did the recipe in your cookbook and it was great, but now I am wondering if this one would be better. Hmmm….do you have a preference?
I prefer the one in my cookbook or my mac and cheese powder for an easy pantry staple 🙂
I want to make this for my in-laws this weekend when they come to stay but there’s a citrus allergy. What would work in place of the lemon juice ? Vinegar?
Also, I can’t imagine being vegan with a lemon allergy….it’s in so many yummy recipes lol
The lemon is for flavour so you could sub vinegar to taste if desired. Haha, if people can be vegan with soy allergies, then they can be vegan with lemon allergies! Haha. Enjoy!
This recipe maybe older but I’m adding it to the “Family” cookbook. I did use an extra garlic clove and will “peel” my red pepper but that’s my likes. Got some picky little ones that might call me on the carpet for the peel of the red pepper. Gosh, this is a keeper!
So happy you enjoy it, Irene!
Hi Sam, quick question, would soaking the cashews in hot water for 15 min o rover night help to make the cheese sauce creamer? Was watching a video of another recipe, much different than yours, but used a lot of oil and salt. Like yours better, Just wondering about the cashews. Thanks! and ya, a printable for this recipe would be great.
Soaking or boiling the cashews will soften them making them easier to blend. So if you don’t have a high-powered blender, that would be a good idea for ideal creaminess. 🙂
lol thanks!
you are hilarious! 😀
Hahaha thank you 🙂
Hi there! I am wondering what kind of non-dairy milk you used? Please let me know! Thanks! 🙂
I don’t remember what I used that day, but generally my go-to is soy milk 🙂
best vegan mac and cheese recipe EVER! the only thing i changed was to use 3 cloves of fresh garlic…and my omnivore family LOVED it! 🙂
YAY! SO happy you loved it, Krista!
I have been vegan for 5.5 years and this is still my favourite Mac and Cheese recipe! It is one of my go to comfort food recipes! Thank you <3
Haha, that’s awesome!
Can I make this if I’m out of bell pepper?
Thanks!
The bell pepper not only adds flavour but it adds the orange colour. So if you make it, it will just be a bit different in taste and look.
Ok I was super skeptical, it looked too simple and i’ve tried so many other vegan mac and cheese recipes. But this is the best one yet and its so easy to make and in no time at all! If your thinking about trying this, stop thinking and go make it. I think the only adjustment I made was an extra clove of garlic since i’m obsessed with garlic but thats it.
Yay!! So happy you loved it so much Danielle!! 😀
why not have a PRINT button, and option not to print pictures? That would be so nice, adn save ink too. thank you.
This is a much older recipe, but all of my new recipes have that option. 🙂
It is so easy to fall in love with being a vegan when we have your help!! Your photos truly draw me in as well as your recipes!! I was wondering if the cashews needed to be soaked first? I can not wait to make this as a comfort staple! And the fact that there is no additional oils is the best! My husband and I have been vegetarian now for almost 2 years and have just turned the page to being a vegan FOREVER as of January/2017. Only regret is we waited so long! There are so many divine foods to explore.. It’s hard to choose each day. lol Thanks for sharing 🙂
Awww shucks, thanks, Beth! If you have a high-powered blender such as a Blendtec or Vitamix, you won’t need to soak the cashews first, but if you have a regular blender, it would be a good idea for perfectly smooth creaminess 🙂 Congrats on your new veganism! So excited you are loving it already 😀
Holy crap. That was so good. So, so, so good. I don’t even know what else to say….
Hahaha! I think you said it perfectly!
Nutritional content?
Now eating! It’s sooooo good! You are a life saver!!! Thank you :):)
Hi Sam,
I’m eating this delectable dish as I type. Thank you for the simple, yet creative ways to convert the typical American diet entrees into something far healthier and great tasting at the same time!
Aww you’re so welcome Kristin! So very happy you enjoyed it 😀
I just made this recipe for my very anti-vegan family…. And they really enjoyed it! Lovely creamy sauce, really hits the spot when you’re craving something solid on a rainy day. Thank you!!
Yay! It makes my day when non-vegans love vegan cheesy things!! That’s awesome, I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back and leaving your review Rachael 🙂
Not a recipe for a veggie hot dog, but quorn do a pretty good hot dog, pretty sure it’s vegan, but it’s definitely veggie. My husband who is a committed carnivore prefers them to the meat ones.
I’ve never tried Quorn products, as they don’t sell them in Canada, but I love that your husband prefers them!
Quorn isn’t vegan as it contains eggs, and probably not even vegetarian either since it was tested on animals when being developed. I’m vegetarian and eat a lot of vegan food too, but won’t touch Quorn.
Thanks for the tips Eibhlin! I just checked the Quorn site, and you are right, they do contain eggs and milk and are not vegan. I did see that they are planning to launch a new vegan line of Quorn products very soon! So that’s good news!
Hey Sam! Question: Have you yet found an alternative to Tahini? I just can’t stand the taste that it leaves in the foods I’ve made with it. Let me know! 😀 -Katie
PS. One of the first meals I ever made was scrambled eggs! I used to eat them for breakfast every chance I got. Strange to think I can’t even down them at this point!
Hi Katie,
Yes, you can use almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter (whichever taste you like), or you can just skip it. The tahini just adds to the flavour in this recipe so it’s not mandatory. It’s so weird how our diets can change so much! I used to drink huge glasses of milk all the time! Yeck! Haha
I guess I’d say popcorn with lots of butter!
Oh my, I loooove popcorn! If you want to health it up, make stove top popcorn with just a bit if oil, and the toss on seasonings, like this: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/2013/10/14/cheezy-vegan-popcorn/ Nutritional yeast is..well, nutritional! Way better than butter.
I miss Pop Tarts! I know some of the flavors are technically vegan but they’re so full of weird oils I don’t wanna go near that stuff anymore. I hope someday there will be a healthy, vegan version that still has that chewy texture and fruity goodness 🙂
Oh pop tarts! That’s a good one! Pop tarts helped me get through my last day of my masters. Haha. You are inspiring me…. Time to make a healthier pop tart I think!
Hotdogs! I have tried soo many mock meat hotdogs (soy, wheat protein, you name it, nothing comes close to the real thing in my opinion) and they are all boring and worse way too soft without the proper sausage texture. I will celebrate like a mad person the day someone introduces me to a proper vegetarian/vegan hotdog 🙂
Haha! Yeah there is something about veggie dogs that just isn’t the same. Particularly the snap of the skin when you bite into the dog. The good news is, there are so many new mock meat companies showing up these days! I hope someone will perfect this for you soon 🙂
If anyone has found the perfect veggie dog, be sure to leave us a comment and let us know!