Vegan Mac and Cheese Peas

By Francesca Rose l Francesca Eats Roses 

A healthy, dairy-free, low-carb cheesy pasta dish.

Sounds like an oxymoron. But I promise you, this is the real deal – kinda. There isn’t any macaroni nor is there cheese, but I think this recipe will give you all of the comfort you desire from a decent, homemade pasta dish.

It’s made with carrots, cashews and coconut milk. Potato, peas and protein pasta. I love alliteration. It brings me so much joy.

These are some of my favourite ingredients that I like to include into my diet to keep my weight stable, my hormones balanced and my mood energized and positive! While I don’t consider myself a guru when it comes to nutritional advice, I do know what has worked for me in terms of helping me stay grounded, connected and more in touch with my body.

I have found all of these ingredients very beneficial, each in their own way, for my body and mind. Potato and carrots are super healthy starchy veg – I don’t fear carbs, and neither should you, especially when they come from the ground, in their more natural, whole form. I eat a fair amount of protein in a variety of ways. Peas and Happy Earth People’s red lentil pasta are easily digestible, minimally processed and so easy to add to almost any dish. For balanced hormones, clear skin, stable mood and great sports recovery, I cannot overemphasize the inclusion of healthy fats. The inclusion in this recipe here is the mighty cashew and nourishing coconut milk.

So while this recipe doesn’t have mac nor cheese, it is has simple ingredients, a simple method and it ticks all the boxes as a wholesome, body-lovin’ pasta recipe.

This recipe is made in about 15 minutes from start to finish, and if you’re smart enough, you’ll make double or triple the amount of the vegan cheese sauce and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to get saucy (or cheesy – doesn’t matter what your style is – just as long as you meal prep this bad boy).

Feel free to use any pasta you like. Macaroni would obviously make the most sense, but I chose to use the red lentil pasta from Happy Earth People.

Feel free to add broccoli instead of peas.

Feel free to bake the pasta dish in the oven (10-15 mins at 180℃) after you have finished cooking and layering the top with a few slices of vegan cheese and roasted chickpeas (11/10 recommend).

Feel free to use the cheese sauce as a dip or poured over roasted veggies instead in a pasta dish.

Basically, feel free to make it your own.

Go rogue.

Serve’s up!

Vegan Cheese Sauce Pasta Recipe

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 250g Happy Earth People red lentil pasta
• 1 cup frozen peas

For the cheesy sauce:

• 2 carrots, chopped
• 5 baby potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup cashews
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 fresh lemon
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp mixes herbs (basil, parsley, oregano)
• 1 tsp herbal salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of paprika
• 1 tbsp water

Method

1. In a pot, boil the carrots, potatoes and onion until soft.
2. In a blender, add all of the cheese sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, adding the frozen peas in for about the last 3 minutes.
4. Pour the sauce over the pasta and peas and mix together. Sprinkle with more nutritional yeast and herbal salt.

About the author:

Francesca is a vegan food blogger from Cape Town, now working and living in sunny Durban. Having battled with eating disorders and dealing with hormonal issues, PCOS symptoms and acne after coming off the contraceptive pill, Francesca was inspired to start sharing healthy and yummy plant based recipes that are good for the mind, body and soul, as well as natural healing tips and tricks that worked for her along the journey to better health.

See her blog Francesca Eats Roses or follow her on Instagram & Facebook for more delicious plant-based recipes just like these!