Caramelized Onion Mac & Cheese
This Caramelized Onion Mac and Cheese is next level! Adding caramelized onions to macaroni and cheese is so easy, yet tastes so decadent. And this dairy-free, cashew-based cheese sauce is simply made by adding all the cheese ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth, then pouring over your cooked pasta. Top with flavorful garnish such as dried or fresh herbs, breadcrumbs, or anything else that calls to you. Make this recipe for the dairy cheese lovers in your life, they’ll be seriously impressed!
Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate nostalgic, comforting, absolutely delicious comfort food. As a kid, before I went vegan, boxed macaroni and cheese was a staple in our household. But when you realize that these overly processed items are more like “food-like products” rather than actual food, it really shifts your thinking! Boxed, non-vegan macaroni and cheese is high in saturated fat due to the milk and butter, and the cheese sauce is also usually very high in sodium. And when looking for the actual nutrients in these, it can be difficult to find much nutritional value at all!
By choosing a veganized version of macaroni and cheese, you’re getting the same great taste, with the added health benefits and none of the cholesterol, saturated fat, or even the animal cruelty that comes with the animal-based versions.
In this recipe specifically, you’re getting a healthy serving of vegetables in the garlic and onions, not to mention garlic and onions are both immunity boosters and even fight and prevent cancer cells. Turmeric is a powerful cancer-fighter as well, and is often used to improve common ailments such as digestive issues, arthritis, respiratory infections, and even assist in weight loss. The cashews are the base of the cheese sauce, and they are a healthy fat that are rich in fiber and protein. Nutritional yeast is rich in B vitamins, including B12, and also high in zinc, magnesium and iron. It also is a complete protein, so it contains all nine essential amino acids. These nutritional benefits would be difficult to find in a box of non-vegan mac and cheese!
I’m always looking for a way to add extra vegetables to my meals, and also to level them up and make them a bit more fun and unique! And a long-held secret of mine (actually not so much a secret) when I’m making vegan macaroni and cheese, is that I would dice up raw white or yellow onions and add them to the pasta when they’re done cooking. I actually learned this trick in Home EC in middle school! I’ve been adding raw onions to my mac and cheese for years, but here, we’re kicking it up a notch and caramelizing our onions.
Depending on the type of blender you have, you may want to soak your cashews for the cheese sauce in warm water for at least an hour, up to 8 hours or overnight. However, with a high-speed blender you don’t need to soak them at all. Typically a high-speed blender is considered anything over 1,000 watts. All Vitamixes are high-speed, as well as many Ninjas, NutriBullets, and other brands have high-speed options, too. If you know your blender well enough, you will know if it can handle things like raw nuts, even ice and frozen fruit, etc.
Macaroni Noodles: I often like to use whole wheat pasta, but you may use whichever kind you choose. Whole wheat pasta is higher in fiber, protein, B vitamins and minerals such as iron and magnesium. It is also considered a “healthy carb,” while regular pasta acts as a sugar in the body by spikes blood sugar levels, due to the refined flour that it is made from. Whole wheat pasta takes slightly longer to cook than regular.
Cashews: You’ll want raw, unsalted cashews. These can be bought in bulk at most “mainstream” grocery stores, or more commonly at health food and specialty grocery stores. If you’re having a difficult time finding the raw, unsalted variety in stores you can always find them online. I always buy my cashews in bulk on Amazon, they’re delivered to my house in a day or two and they’re much cheaper this way, too!
Nutritional Yeast: The main ingredient in the cheese sauce. Once you try nutritional yeast in your cooking, or even sprinkled on salads, soups, pizza or popcorn, you’re going to fall in love with the flavor and the ease of using it for nearly everything!
Garlic Cloves: Just peel and add to the blender, you don’t need to bother with chopping them since they’re going to be blended well. If you don’t have garlic cloves you can use garlic powder; ¼ tsp for each clove, so for one batch of this recipe you would want to use ¾ tsp of garlic powder, although I do recommend using fresh garlic cloves if you have them, as they will lend a flavor that is (pleasantly) more potent than garlic powder.
Onions: I use white or yellow onions for this recipe, and 2 onions may seem like a lot, but once they’re cooked the slices shrink in size, and the flavor is much more subtle than when they’re consumed fresh!
Turmeric: Adds depth and complexity to the flavor of the vegan cheese sauce. Because it’s so rich in nutritional benefits, it’s great to add to dishes whenever you can in small amounts, such as cheese recipes like this one or tofu recipes, especially when creating tofu-based egg dishes, such as tofu scrambles or omelets.
Plant-Based Milk: Choose an unsweetened, unflavored vegan milk. I typically use almond milk, but many others work as well!
Salt and Pepper: You may need to adjust the measurements according to your taste preference.
Olive Oil: Used for sauteing the onions. Feel free to add more oil while cooking the onions if needed.
Ingredients
2 C macaroni noodles
1 C raw cashews
½ C nutritional yeast
3 garlic cloves
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp turmeric
2 C plant-based milk
Optional Garnish
Breadcrumbs
Paprika
Fresh herbs
Instructions
1. Cut onions into thin slices. Add the onion slices to a pan with olive oil and a dash of salt over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and slightly browned, about 20 minutes.
2. While the onions are cooking, make the cheese sauce by adding the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic cloves, turmeric, milk, 2 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper to a blender. Blend on high until very smooth.
3. At this time, cook the macaroni by adding to a pot of water on medium-high heat, and boiling until tender. Drain the macaroni and return it to the pot.
4. Once the onions are done cooking, combine with the macaroni in the pot. Pour in the cheese sauce and stir everything together.
5. Keep the pot on the stove on medium-low heat, stirring until the mac and cheese are heated through. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
6. Spoon the caramelized onion vegan mac and cheese into bowls, and top with your choice of garnish. I used paprika, breadcrumbs, and fresh sage and thyme.
Stefanie is the founder of Life, Veganized, and a passionate vegan and animal advocate. She creates vegan recipes for all palates and resides in Los Angeles with her adorable puggle, Zeus.
