Macaroni and Cheese Archives - Strength and Sunshine

Microwave Gluten-Free + Vegan Mac & Cheese For One (Allergy-Free ‘Easy Mac’)

July 17, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 77 Comments

Missing out on that ‘Easy Mac’? Not anymore! This microwave gluten-free, vegan, and top 8 allergy-free mac & cheese for one is just the recipe you need! Nothing beats a quick and easy bowl of macaroni and cheese for lunch that’s healthy and doesn’t require pots and pans!

It’s okay guys, I know, I cried tears of joy too! There’s no denying my obsession with mac and cheese. From curry, to one-pot, even super “out there” versions. You can keep a girl away from the gluten and dairy, but you can’t keep a girl away from her mac! Now I’ve always been curious to try cooking pasta in the microwave. I love my microwave, it even ranks above the iron, and I could cook anything in there. But could I really cook gluten-free pasta in the microwave and not have it come out…mushy and sad or hard and dry? This could’ve posed a messy challenge, but never something I wouldn’t risk, all in the name of macaroni and cheese!Read More

One-Pot Vegan Mac & Cheese

July 18, 2016 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 175 Comments

Easy one-pot vegan mac & cheese that’s gluten-free, grain-free, and nut-free! The perfect quick, healthy, protein-packed dinner recipe, ready in less than 10 minutes, making it one weeknight family favorite where moms and kids approve!

Let’s…get…CHEESY! You know I love my mac & cheese, even the fancier versions. I think it’s safe to say that my favorite pasta dish is mac and cheese. It always has been, from Kraft, to Easy Mac, and now to vegan mac and cheese. If you were to ask me today, I would say I’m not a pasta person, now a cheese person (of course), but when it comes to some mac attack…I can’t help myself!

Who doesn’t love a big bowl of mac & cheese? No one, that’s who! Not liking mac and cheese is attune to not liking chocolate. A sad, sad disgrace! Mac and Cheese is the #1 “cheese recipe” in the US and one of the top 10 comfort foods! (And I bet that’s not even taking into account the vegan versions!)

Kraft sells 1 million boxes of the good stuff in a single day. It’s an American favorite, no doubt about it. “America, land of macaroni and cheese”! (We’re called the “melting pot”, so maybe that means the melting pot of mac and cheese). The first known “recipe” for macaroni and cheese was written in the 13th century in Southern Italy using lasagna sheets and parmesan!

Just so y’all have concrete evidence that my mac and cheese PLUS ketchup addiction is not crazy, check this out. (I think I should move to Canada too…it’s their number one combo of our #1 cheesy recipe!) It’s kind of like pizza. Carbs, cheese, and tomato…just in a more fun form you can eat in a bowl and where it’s not a sin to eat with a fork!

Now for this EASY mac, all you need is a pot, a box of Banza, nooch, and some baby food. Plus that bottle of ketchup (the most important part!) It’s the same as my curry version just sans the curry spices! Sometimes you have to go back to your roots and keep it super simple. Nothing fancy, just a heaping bowl of this stuff that happens to be vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), gluten-free, grain-free, and nut-free! BAM!

Vegan mac and cheese hot, cold, with ketchup, with bbq sauce, with curry, with peas (peas are always good in mac), in a bowl, on a plate, with a fork, with a spoon…maybe your hands…However you dish it up, this one-pot vegan mac and cheese will only leave you feeling comforted, healthy, and full of plant-powered love in a much more modern version of the ultimate American classic (traditional American mac may have originated in New England church potlucks or from Thomas Jefferson bringing a recipe idea over. No one is sure, but it is an American must!)

One-Pot Vegan Mac & Cheese

One-Pot Vegan Mac & Cheese

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Cook time

8 mins

Total time

8 mins

Easy one-pot vegan mac & cheese that's gluten-free, grain-free, and nut-free! The perfect quick, healthy, protein-packed dinner recipe, ready in less than 10 minutes, making it one weeknight family favorite where moms and kids approve!

Author: Rebecca Pytell

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 8oz Box of Banza Chickpea Elbow Pasta
¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast
½ Cup Carrot Puree (1 baby food jar)
½ Tsp Dijon Mustard
½ Tsp Turmeric
¼ Tsp Paprika
¼ Tsp Onion Powder
⅛ Tsp Garlic Powder (to taste)
Pinch of White Pepper (optional)

Instructions

In a large pot, cook the pasta in boiling water according to box directions (about 6-7 minutes).
Drain and rinse the pasta, then add it back to the pot. Pour in the carrot puree, nutritional yeast, mustard, and spices. Mix well to combine.

Notes

*If your carrot puree wasn't "watery" enough, feel free to reserve a few tablespoons of the pasta water and add that back to the pot as well when mixing in the "cheese" ingredients.
**You can use your favorite elbow pasta of course. My other favorite (not grain-free) is TruRoots.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1

But don’t forget the most important part…the KETCHUP! Eating the leftovers the next day is my favorite part too of course. Nothing like reheated mac and cheese! That was always my favorite growing up and still is to this day! If I were in prison and they asked me what I wanted for my last meal, I may be inclined to say reheated leftover vegan mac and cheese with ketchup…okay, and pancakes, a potato, and this chicken…I digress!

So tell me:

+ Are you part of the mac and cheese loving population?

+ What would your last meal be in prison? You know, I would request to cook it myself too…

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Curry Mac & Cheese

September 2, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 163 Comments

Just when you thought mac & cheese couldn’t get any better. This curry mac & cheese will blow your mind and taste buds while still being 100% allergy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan. You’ll have no idea that this comfort food is healthy enough to go back for seconds!

I have just made you life (well at least my life) 1000000x better and more delicious! That is no exaggeration! I usually would never post a recipe I made just a few days ago so quickly to the blog (since I have so many old ones that are ahead in the line-up), but this could not wait. Last Saturday, mac and cheese had to happen. It could not wait. What also had to happen was some curry spice action. And boy, did it happen!

I don’t even know what to say except I LOVE mac and cheese again. This may be better than potatoes. I don’t know what’s come over me, but the pasta love has been REAL this summer. I don’t mind it one bit either! Now, I’ve made mac and cheese before, this one on the blog, and another recipe that I haven’t posted yet. But this mac and cheese is beyond just good. I really wish I could invite you all over for a mac and cheese party, because not only is this the best (I know, you’re getting sick of me already), but it’s so easy too! It takes less than 15 minutes tops!

There’s one condition though. That is, ketchup. (Now I just made you even more annoyed with me, eh? Too much ketchup talk this summer too?) But hear me out. I’ve been putting ketchup on mac and cheese since I was a little girl. I will continue to do so until it becomes illegal (which I may just have to commit a crime then). But I’m being real here. Ketchup squeezed on top of perfect mac and cheese is one of the most comforting, delicious, soothing meals you could ever eat. Each fork full is, each bite, produces the most zen and belly-happy spark. I also really dig leftover mac and cheese, reheated in the microwave, (and topped with ketchup!). Childhood pleasures don’t change 😉 I can remember being overly excited to get home from school, knowing that the night before we made a box of mac and cheese, and now I could reheat the leftovers as my after-school snack and devour!

However, this mac and cheese is so much better than boxed (or baked…that kind with the breadcrumbs and baked as a casserole in the oven has never looked appealing to me…ever)! That may have to do with the curry spices! It just added to not only the color, but the savory deliciousness. Indian curry spices are such a great complement to a “cheesy” dish. (And add some tomato ketchup and you’re winning at life!) I guess this dish is pure comfort to me. Indian is my favorite cuisine, ketchup, nooch, and my favorite grain-free pasta from Banza in shell form (best mac and cheese noodle shape!). Each noodle held the sauce and was such a hearty bite! No mushy slimy “gluten-fail” pasta here!

Curry Mac & Cheese

Curry Mac & Cheese

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Just when you thought mac & cheese couldn't get any better. This curry mac & cheese will blow your mind and taste buds while still being 100% allergy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan. You'll have no idea that this comfort food recipe is healthy enough to go back for seconds!

Author: Rebecca Pytell

Recipe type: Main Dish, Side Dish, Pasta

Cuisine: American, Indian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 Box (8oz) Banza Chickpea Pasta Shells
½ Cup Carrot Puree (I used 1 baby food jar)
¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast
1 Tsp Curry Powder
½ Tsp Onion Powder
½ Tsp Garlic Powder
¼ Tsp Turmeric
¼ Tsp Paprika

Instructions

Cook pasta according to directions, drain, rinse, and add back to pot.
Add in the remaining ingredients and stir everything together until the pasta is covered in the creamy sauce.
Serve and possibly top with ketchup! 😉

Did I surprise you there with the “hidden veggie”? Totally plant-based mac and cheese that’s 100% allergy-free! And you would never know it was this healthy and safe! It’s really drool-worthy. I was eating my last leftovers the day after I made this while I was editing these photos and wow. It was nice but left me wanting more and more and more! (Food blogger tip: Eat the dish you’re editing photos of. It’s good and bad!)

So tell me:

+ Have you put ketchup on your mac and cheese?

+ Do you love leftovers like me? I do…so much! I usually think the leftovers are better than the original. Sadly I rarely have leftovers though unless I make a big recipe for the blog.

+ What is your ultimate comfort food combo? Well we all know the Japanese (or Stokes) sweet potato, microwaved and topped with coconut butter and cinnamon is my ultimate! But this mac and cheese does the comfort thing pretty well too 😉

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeOfTheWeek,#StrangeButGood, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays,Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Lena’s Tasty Tuesdays, Waste Not Want Not!*