This is from an issue of VegNews, my modifications are in parentheses. Very delicious!
4 quarts water
1 tablespoon sea salt (don’t need unless you cook your pasta in salted water)
8 ounces macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces (I think 4 pieces are too many and wouldn’t use more then 2 personally. You can also use prepackaged breadcrumbs if you have them)
2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (you can cut this in half and use a few more potatoes and carrots to save cals/fat, I omit the 2tbsps from the breadcrumbs also)
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
¼ cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
¼ cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons sea salt
¼ teaspoon garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (I personally use ¼- 1/2 tsp depending on who I’m making it for- I like this to have a bit of heat)
¼ teaspoon paprika
1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons
margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and
water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice,
black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender
and process until perfectly smooth.
5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has
turned golden brown.
