Looking for a comforting weeknight dinner? This delicious Vegan Mac and Cheese is made with pantry ingredients and sneaks two portions of veggies in!

Close up image shows a large light grey bowl of Vegan Mac and Cheese with a fork in the foreground. The bowl is on a white marble surface surrounded by a linen napkin, macaron elbows and another bowl of pasta.

This Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe is a paid partnership with Manitoba Milling Company.

Be kind to me. This week I'm attempting to tackle a comfort food classic and not only veganize it, but make it a little bit healthier. That's right, you can eat mac and cheese and get your nutrients at the same time

I've been meaning to add a mac and cheese recipe to this blog for so long, so when Manitoba Milling Company suggested a collaboration using their Unsweetened Milled Whole Seed Flax Beverage, I jumped at the chance!

I hadn't tried flax milk before, and I can honestly say I've been really impressed by it. It's fantastic in sauces, hot drinks and baking as it's naturally quite thick and creamy. I can also speak from experience when I say that it's great on cereal too!

I also particularly love that Manitoba Milling's non-GMO Flax Beverage is made with the highest quality whole milled flaxseed (produced by the Pizzey family on their farm in Manitoba), so you get all the benefits of eating flax such as omega-3, protein and fibre to name a few.

Overheard image shows two large light grey bowls of Vegan Mac and Cheese with forks. The bowls are on a white marble surface surrounded by a linen napkin and macaron elbows.

VEGAN MAC & CHEESE - THE RECIPE

This recipe is a very simple one to make, and is ideal as an easy weeknight dinner (like my Beet Pasta Sauce) or for when you just want comfort food . It provides 2 portions of vegetables per serving and is full of protein and fibre.

I know we all have different ingredients available, so feel free to adapt this recipe as you need to, particularly when it comes to the fresh produce.

If you don't have any collard greens, go ahead and use kale, chard or even spinach. If you don't have any butternut squash, try using yams or sweet potato instead!

All other ingredients in this recipe are pantry essentials, so hopefully they're ones you already have on hand and won't require an extra shopping trip to buy.

So get cosy, whip up a quick batch of this Vegan Mac and Cheese, and dig in!

Image shows a large grey bowl of Vegan Mac and Cheese in the foreground. The bowl is on a white marble surface surrounded by a fork, a linen napkin, a carton of Manitoba Milling's Unsweetened Flax Beverage and another bowl of pasta.

BUDGET-FRIENDLY VERSION

Use sunflower seeds instead of cashews to make this recipe cheaper. Do be aware however that they will provide a slightly different taste.

Cashews are a little creamier and are my top pick for the recipe, but sunflower seeds work really well if you want to make this more cost-effective.

LOOKING FOR MORE VEGAN COMFORT FOOD?

Why not try my Black Bean Enchiladas, Beet & Black Bean Burgers or my Sweet Potato Tacos?

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A bowl of Vegan Mac and Cheese with Collard Greens.

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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Mac and Cheese with Collard Greens (gluten-free)

Looking for a comforting weeknight dinner? This delicious Vegan Mac and Cheese is made with pantry ingredients but also sneaks two portions of veggies in!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, comfort food, gluten-free, healthy, vegan

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: 2 people

Author: Elizabeth Emery

Ingredients

Cheese Sauce

1 heaped cup butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1½cm cubes
½ cup cashews or sunflower seeds - see budget-friendly tip below (soak overnight if preferred - it helps the nuts/seeds to blend more easily if your blender isn't high-powered)
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup Manitoba Milling Company Unsweetened Milled Whole Seed Flax Beverage
2 tablespoon avocado/olive oil or vegan butter
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

To Serve

1 cup collard greens (or chard), shredded thinly
2 cups gluten-free macaroni, uncooked
Red cabbage sauerkraut

Instructions

For the sauce

Steam butternut squash for about 10 minutes or until tender and remove from the heat.
Add this and all other cheese sauce ingredients to a high speed blender and blitz for about 1 minute, until the sauce is completely smooth. Set aside.

To assemble

Steam the collard greens for about 30 seconds on the stovetop, until wilted. Set aside.
Cook the macaroni as per package instructions. Drain and rinse (if required) and pour back into the saucepan.
On a low heat, add the cheese sauce and stir to coat the macaroni.
Stir the collard greens into the mixture and allow it to heat gently for a few minutes, stirring regularly.
When the mac and cheese is warm enough to eat, serve in large bowls with a forkful of red cabbage sauerkraut on the side and enjoy immediately!

Tried this recipe?Leave a rating above and mention @vancouverwithlove or tag #vancouverwithlove on Instagram!

Notes

Budget-Friendly Tip:

Using sunflower seeds instead of cashews definitely makes this recipe cheaper, but do be aware that they will provide a slightly different taste. Cashews are a little creamier and are my top pick for the recipe, but sunflower seeds work really well if you want to make this more cost-effective.

If you’ve tried this recipe, please leave a comment or tip for others below. I'd love to know how you’ve made it your own!

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