Seinfeld’s vegan mac and cheese uses plant milk
A recipe from Jessica Seinfeld’s “Vegan, at Times”:
I have served this many times to non-vegans and they always go for seconds. I use cashew or almond milk for their mild flavor, but you can always experiment with other plant-based milks.
Macaroni and cheese
Serves: 6
Total time: 55minutes
Active time: 35 minutes
For the macaroni and cheese:
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1pound short pasta, such as cavatappi, elbows or small shells
• 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4½ cups unsweetened cashew or almond milk
• 16 ounces (4 cups) shredded plant-based cheddar cheese (We like Violife)
• 2tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the breadcrumb topping:
• 1 cup panko or coarse dried breadcrumbs
• 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, for serving
Directions:
Position the oven rack about 8 inches from the top and heat the oven to 400degrees 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 the 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 3 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the flour. Add 1cup 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 ½ teaspoon 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 9-by-13inch 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 about 15 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Then turn on the broiler and broil for 1 to 3 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Let cool for 5minutes before serving and sprinkle the top with the parsley.