Vegan mac n cheese with tempeh bacon

Macaroni pasta in a luxurious creamy cheesy sauce topped with smokey bacon flavoured crumble made of tempeh. The ultimate dairy free comfort food.

When you think mac n cheese I expect you think heaps of dairy- butter, milk and cheese but I am here to tell you an amazing mac n cheese is absolutely possible with no dairy at all! I honestly think this mac n cheese is better than any dairy version I ever had in the past. This is definitely one to feed to the dairy fiends in your life- I promise it will blow them away! This mac n cheese is super indulgent and a real treat. The smoky salty tempeh crumble on the top pairs perfectly with the ultra creamy mac n cheese underneath. This is the ultimate comfort food! The recipe makes a batch big enough for 4 people but you’ll find it hard not to want seconds.

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Ingredients and substitutes-

• Macaroni pasta- I like to use a tube type pasta to ensure all of that lovely sauce is caught inside the tube however you can really use any pasta shape you have on hand (we’ll still call it mac n cheese even if it isn’t made with “mac”!).

• Tempeh- Tempeh makes a really great bacon crumble. Even if you’re not too keen on tempeh usually in this recipe by using the seasoning and baking it you will barely even tell that its tempeh meaning you get the bacony goodness with a little nutrient boost also!

• Vegan cheese- Try to use a melty stronger flavour cheese in this recipe. I used the orange colour block from UK Lidl and Vio life mature. Double cheese is not a must but I highly recommend it!

• Liquid smoke- Liquid smoke is a next level smoke seasoning that I think is a must in your cupboard. I haven’t found it in UK shops anywhere yet so you’ll need to buy online. Sure smoked paprika is good for a smokey flavour but once you’ve tried liquid smoke you’ll never look back! In this recipe the liquid smoke really elevates the ‘bacon’ crumbles.

• Nutritional yeast- This is the secret to the most amazing cheesy flavour that is essential in mac n cheese. I have tried to omit this before but it really is non negotiable, you must nooch your sauce for the best mac n cheese experience!

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Top Tips!

Making the sauce-

Making a good cheese sauce requires patience and undivided attention from start to finish. No one likes a lumpy sauce. To master this you must stand and stir consistently when adding ingredients and continue stirring until the desired thickness is reached. As soon as this is done remove from the heat.

Sauce thickness troubleshooting-

The soy milk is a guide for this recipe as sauce thickness is most definitely a personal preference. Personally I like a saucy mac n cheese so I try to make a good amount of sauce. If your sauce is too thick keep adding soy milk bit by bit until you like the consistency. If you have added all of the ingredients and stirred well on the heat and your sauce is still not thick enough- in a separate bowl you can mix a teaspoon of cornflour and water and add this to the sauce. Stir on low heat until thickened.

And now for the recipe!

Creamy cheesy mac and cheese with smokey bacon style tempeh crumble

​Serves- 4 Time- 30 minutes

Ingredients-

• 200g (dry weight) macaroni pasta

• 200g Tempeh

• 200g vegan cheese grated

• 800ml soy milk

• 30g dairy free butter

• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp yondu (or soy sauce)

• 1 tsp liquid smoke

• 2 tsp garlic granules

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 30g nutritional yeast

Method-

1. Food process the tempeh into a breadcrumb size and place into a large bowl.

2. Add the smoked paprika, liquid smoke, soy sauce and 1tsp of garlic granules and mix well.

3. Tip on to a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes.

4. In a large sauce pan melt the butter on low heat then add the tbsp flour and mix well.

5. Once combined into a paste turn down the heat and add a small bit of the milk. Mix this until it turns to a paste again. Continue doing this bit by bit until all the milk is used. You will have to stay by it and whisk it the whole time to avoid burning.

6. Next mix in half (100g) of the cheese to the sauce and the salt, pepper, other tsp of garlic granules and the nutritional yeast. Stir until the cheese has melted and take of the heat to thicken. Make sure there are no lumps left in the sauce here.

7. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, drain then add to the cheese sauce.

8. Transfer the mac n cheese to a baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese (100g) and the tempeh crumbles.

9. Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes.

10. Serve and enjoy!

FAQ-

· Does this need to be baked?- I suggest baking this to melt the extra cheese on top and rewarm the bacon crumble however you don’t need to bake if you prefer you can serve up from the sauce pan into bowls and crumble the bacon crumble on top of each portion.

· I really don’t like tempeh what can I use?- You can use tofu with the same method you will just need to bake it for longer to dry it out as tofu is much more moist. Alternatively you could chop shop bought bacon up really small and fry off and use that instead of tempeh.

Why not try these other recipes?

• Butter bean curry

• Creamy pumpkin risotto

• Spinach and basil pesto pasta

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