Sometimes life is not all about balance. For example, this is by no means a perfectly balanced mac and cheese (I know, way to sell it, right?). There’s some cheese in here, but nowhere close to four cheeses. Nothing is truffled, or bacon-ed, or cauliflower-ed. There’s some mac – but, all and all, it’s pretty light on the (quinoa) pasta to “other stuff” ratio.
This is the kind of filling, yet, not-over-the-top meal that I like to eat in an every day sort of way. These days, in particular, I’m into meals that are overwhelmingly jam packed with green things.
I also happened to have all of these items in my fridge, so this was also a total impromptu weeknight meal. If you have some cashew cream leftover (like I did), it’s especially quick to put together.
This came about as I was getting ready to toss those (above) ingredients together into a salad like this… but since I can’t even follow my own recipes, I got the last-minute idea to switch it up and bake this thing instead.
Since no green meal is complete without unmeasured handfuls of fresh herbs, I plucked and added some basil and sage from my yard. I usually think of sage for fall, but it really added a nice rich flavor in contrast to all of the fresh, bright things. (Although, I think tarragon would offer a nice savory note as well).
And just to un-vegan and un-gluten-free things, I added some panko and grated comté cheese to form a crispy crust. Which – really –  sounds fancier than it is. Jack always grabs handfuls of random cheeses from the remnant bin at Whole Foods so we always have interesting assortments on hand. Feel free to use parmesan or pecorino if that’s what you have. (Or see the notes below to adjust this to actually be vegan or gluten free, if need be).
mostly veggie baked macaroni
- ¾ cups cashew cream
- ½ cup (uncooked) quinoa elbows (or any elbows)
- ½ cup chopped asparagus (tender parts only)
- ½ cup peas
- ½ cup mini mozzarella balls, halved
- handfuls of fresh chopped basil and sage
- ¼ cup grated comté (or parmesan) for the topping
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- a generous drizzle of olive oil
- pinches of red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper
- 1.5 cups cashews, soak overnight & drain
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ¼ cup water (more if necessary)
- salt & pepper
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a high speed blender to blend all ingredients for the cashew cream. Taste and adjust seasonings, set aside.
- Coat the bottom of a 9x13 (or similar) baking dish with a little olive oil.
- Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain.
- Toss about ¾ cups of the cashew cream with the cooked pasta. (I did this right in my baking dish to dirty less dishes). Add the asparagus, peas, mozzarella, herbs, a few pinches of salt & pepper. Fold everything together so that all ingredients are coated and evenly disbursed, then gently press it into the pan to form an even layer.
- Top with grated comté (or parmesan), panko bread crumbs, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper & a few pinches of red pepper flakes.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Vegan version - omit all cheese and use more cashew cream.
No-bake version: blanch veggies (for about 30 seconds in boiling water), then toss everything together and serve in bowls.
This looks awesome! My daughter is allergic to cashews. What could I use in place of the cashew cream?
Hi Amy, you could try this vegan mac and cheese sauce which uses coconut milk instead of nuts: http://www.loveandlemons.com/2013/01/31/vegan-mac-cheese/
I’ve also made the cashew cream with almonds (if that’s an option), you just have to soak them a bit longer so they soften enough to become creamy.
This looks so delicious! I am GF but I have some gluten free breadcrumbs that are excellent I can use instead of the panko. Can’t wait to make this.
Delicious! I’ve never made cashew cream before but I will be sure to give it a try. I might replace some of the vegetables with more seasonally appropriate (winter down under) vegetables like mushrooms perhaps.
Thanks for the weeknight idea!
mushrooms would be delicious! Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
I love the idea of adding veggies to a heavy pasta dish! The cashew cream looks intriguing, and I bet it’s fabulous alongside green veggies!
Perfect! Total yummm. A beautiful side dish or meal. Finally, for a change someone is doing something to help pigs live a bit longer. Whew. I (our entire family) do not consume bacon. Or anything related to it. The world is going bonkers adding pork to e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Becoming an ongoing illness in society. Truth be told, very dangerous and unhealthy to keep including in daily meals and/or desserts. Just awful.
I love a good baked pasta dish, and this one looks delicious! I have to admit that I immediately began wondering how and where I could fit in some bacon, but the thought of making it light but hearty like you have here is too good to pass up! Thanks for the inspiration!
ha, well I won’t judge if adding a little bacon is your thing 🙂
Hooray, super-veg pasta! I’m intrigued that you’re using both cashew cream and dairy cheese in the same dish. I guess that combination just never occurred to me, since so many people use cashew cream for totally vegan dishes. I’ll have to give it a try!
I know, such a contradiction! To be honest, I just happened to have some cheese and some cashew cream leftover so it all went in! Also, I can have some cheese, but I can’t have loads of it (with heavy cream), and I just love the taste of cashew cream.
This looks great – I love Mac n’ cheese and this looks so good.
Right on time for upcoming Summer, I can definitely eat this everyday. “Green” always make me feel better about “cheese.” 🙂
This sounds heavenly – I love the abundance of spring greens right now. I’m trying to fit them into every meal, so may have to add this recipe to the to-do list.
Oh. Wow. Yum. I hate too much cheese, this looks incredible! Love the addition of veggies, I’ll definitely make this one (I actually make a lot of your recipes and should comment more, they’re all delicious!)
Sooooo veggie-licious! NOM!
whoops! Double commented…and now triple commented. More love from me to you, I suppose!
Sooooo veggie-liscious! NOM!
Oooh the vegan version looks lovely! Green veg is the best! x
http://www.thelittlecountrygirl.blogspot.co.uk
This looks delicious and such a clever use of cashew cream – can’t wait to make it 🙂
P.s. Beautiful photography as ever – the dream is to have my own marble counters one day!!
A green mac ‘n’ cheese is a FANTASTIC way to eat healthy and indulge at the same time! Loving this to bits!!!! <3
Fresh mozzarella is amazing on everything!
ErinElizabeth
Oh my goodness that looks heavenly. I love the addition of fresh mozzarella balls, those make everything better. 🙂 And quinoa pasta sounds interesting, I’ll have to look for it at the store.
We have the sad reality: my husband is allergic to both dairy and nuts. I might have to try this with some sort of tofu or coconut, because it looks delicious.
Also, I made your soft pretzels over the weekend and they are SO GOOD.
Hi Allyn, try this coconut mac and cheese version instead (leave off the pine nuts at the end): http://www.loveandlemons.com/2013/01/31/vegan-mac-cheese/
Love peas! Oooh and I love the use of the cashew cream. Looks so good.