The basis for so many yummy vegan meals!
If there’s one thing I miss about eating vegan, it’s cheese. I’m not just talking about blocks of cheese or cheese-flavored things like chips, but also creamy pasta dishes like macaroni and cheese.
After some experimenting, I came up with a basic recipe. This starts with a white sauce, adding whatever cheese or flavorings you want to personalize the dish to your taste.
We start with a roux, which is a mix of flour and fat cooked together, then add plant milk.
I’ve made macaroni and cheese, spinach and mushroom alfredo sauce, and broccoli cheese sauce based on this white sauce. The key is making sure you use enough fat and salt for flavor.
If you want to sautee veggies to mix into the sauce, add these right after heating your fats and before adding the flour.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil (can add a bit of vegan butter for flavor)
- 1 T minced garlic
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups plant milk
- Seasoning salt (Lidl)/onion salt (Trader Joe’s) to taste
- Handful of vegan cheese
In a large skillet, warm the oil/butter. If adding vegetables like onions and mushrooms, add them now along with the garlic. Once sauteed to your liking, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and combine. Begin stirring the plant milk into the mix, about ¼ cup at at time, until all is combined. Season to taste. Add a handful of vegan cheese (I like Vivo Life cheddar for macaroni and cheese, Kite Hill ricotta, or Vivo Life mozzarella for more of a traditional alfredo sauce. Your sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain and combine with the sauce. Makes enough sauce for 1 lb. of pasta.
Enjoy!
___________
Fellow vegans, do you miss cheese as much as I do? This sauce may be the cure for that craving! If you make this recipe, post about it on Instagram and tag me @annecreates.
As always I hope you all are safe and healthy.
Anne the Vegan 