One of the challenges in our house is finding recipes to make – separately or together – that we both genuinely love. For the most part, I eat a modified paleo diet, while C eats mainly meat, dairy and gluten-full starches. And while we’ve built out a long list of recipe staples, one of my favorite things to do is to health-ify C’s favorite comfort food. My most recent conquest? Mac-N-Cheese.
Let me tell ya, I used to love Mac-N-Cheese. I probably had easy mac every single day my freshman year in college! But the problem with Mac-N-Cheese (and any cheese, really) is that it doesn’t love me back. I’ve been lactose-intolerant for most of my life and cheese and I are simply not meant to be friends. Funny enough, C is in the same boat, so it’s really in both of our best interests to find dairy-free options.
After saying sayonara to cheese several years ago, I honestly don’t think about it much – unless of course I’m sharing the elevator with someone who has a fresh baked pizza. At that time, most of the cheese replacements or alternatives had tons of (weird) ingredients, additives, or were soy based which my body does not do well with. Boy have things come a long way since then! In the quest to make my Mac-N-Cheese taste exactly like what C and I both grew up with, I knew I’d have to give vegan cheese a shot and after a lot of research I found a brand we felt good about using: Violife. We found it at Whole Foods, and can confidently say after using it in multiple recipes that it is LEGIT.
I threw together this recipe by combining a few recipes from friends, Pinterest and my own taste buds which ultimately created the perfect creamy, sauce, cheesy Mac-N-Cheese! Extra veggies and protein make it a completely balanced meal, one that is as good as, if not better, than the “real” deal! We always add broccoli but you could do tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, summer squash – whatever floats your cheesy boat!
Are you a Mac-N-Cheese fan? If you make this recipe don’t forget to share it on social and tag #purelynoracooks – I can’t wait to see your plates!
Dairy Free Loaded Mac-N-Cheese
A creamy, comforting and oh-so-hearty mac-n-cheese that's loaded with nutritious goodness and shockingly dairy free!
- 1 box gluten free pasta (we love using Banza for this recipe if we aren't using meat – but any pasta will do!)
- 4-6 ounces dairy free cheese (we typically use Violife shredded but any brand will do – shredded or non!)
- 1/4 cup dairy free milk – unsweetened, unflavored (we use almond but any dairy free milk of choice will work well here as long as it is NOT flavored or sweetened!)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional but adds extra flavor)
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped (sub any veggie you have on hand)
- 1 package pre-cooked paleo chicken sausage (optional – we love Bilinskis and Applegate)
Prepare pasta as directed on the box – we typically use Banza especially if we aren't using meat! Drain and return pasta to the original pot.
While the pasta is boiling, heat the chicken sausage as directed. Once warm, slice and set aside.
Steam or cook veggies – we like to use a Lekue steamer or a steamer insert to steam our broccoli or other veggies of choice! Once cooked through, set aside with chicken.
Prepare the cheese sauce: add vegan cheese, dairy free milk and nutritional yeast to a saucepan on medium heat, stirring often. Wait until cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined, about 5 minutes.
Add chicken sausage, steamed veggies and cheese sauce to the pasta pot. Stir gently to combine.
Serve!
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