Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 15 minutes
Chipotle Mac & Cheese! Okay? I probably don’t need to say anything else, you’re already rummaging through your pantry for a can of chipotles and some cashews to soak. Mac & Cheese is, after all, the ultimate comfort food. A box of macaroni might as well come with sweatpants, a cozy blanket and an entire season of Mad Men DVDs.
This version is creamy, of course, but also spicy and smoky. But what really sets it apart is how EASY it is. That’s ALL CAPS and throw in an italic EASY.
1) Boil some macaroni 2) Throw some stuff into the blender 3) Put it all together. 4) There you go. I roasted some brussel sprouts, too (as I do), but you can add any manner of veggie; steamed kale, grilled asparagus, sauteed zucchini…you get the picture. I do highly recommend the brussels, though, because they roast away effortlessly, and you are free to prepare everything else. Oh, and of course, they’re also super delicious.
The only thing that’s a little fussy is getting the seeds out of the chipotle. But follow my notes below and you shouldn’t have any problems.
Happy macking, everyone!
Notes
~ The reason we’re removing the seeds, in case you’re wondering, is that seeds are really spicy. With the seeds removed, you can use more chipotles, thus getting more smoky flavor without all the heat.
~ Update! If you’d like to make this was blanched, slivered or sliced almonds, go for it! People have been reporting back that it works well.
~ For a non-spicy version, try one roasted red pepper (homemade or from a jar) in place of the 4 chipotles.
~ I love a milder miso here. I used chickpea, but mellow white would be nice, too. The kind of miso you use will determine the saltiness, and so I suggest salting to taste before and after adding it to the macaroni.
Ingredients
1 lb brussels, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oilFor the sauce:
1 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
4 chipotles, seeded (see note)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons miso (I used chickpea miso)
Salt to taste
Directions
To make the sauce: Drain the cashews and place all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend away until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Depending on the strength of your blender this could take from one to five minutes.
When the macaroni is tender, drain it in a colander. Immediately place it back in the pot you boiled it in and stir in the sauce. Place pot on low heat and stir for 3 minutes or so, until the sauce is thickened a bit and everything is deliciously creamy. Taste for salt, toss in the brussel sprouts and serve!
(In the pic I put some extra chipotles in, but that was just for show. Unless you like things REALLY spicy you can skip that.)
I made this for dinner last night and almost cried it was so good! Absolutely perfect creaminess and match for the roasted Brussels sprouts. Cannot wait for the leftovers–husband loves it, too. Holy cow, already a fan for life, what is the next level?
Just made this. Wow! It tastes amazing! Smoky and spicy! I used whole wheat macaroni and canned chipotles, which I seeded (thanks very much). It may sound weird to put in roasted brussels, but they are such a superfood, super healthy (and a favorite of mine). Just the right touch for this dish. Wonderfully, surprisingly delicious. Can’t wait for my husband to try this. This one is a keeper which I’ll double next time. Thanks very much, Isa.
I made this and was too lazy to seed the chipotles so I just put in two and some of the sauce. It’s not too hot and very well spiced, but quite a bit more red than the mac in the picture. I use stewed zephyr squash and zuchinni in place of the sprouts but have them as a side instead of adding them to the dish as I was afraid they would water down the mac. I used an immersion blender and broth left over from making your homemade seiten. I served with the squash and seiten sauteed then simmer with your pantry BBQ sauce from another recipe. I wanted something smokey AND pasta and these recipes really hit the spot(s). thanks as always.
YAY! Loved this!! 🙂 And in case anyone besides me doesn’t love chipotles (not into smokey spicy – though I like both separate, go figure) AND doesn’t want roasted red pepper in their mac-n-cheese – I used a jalapeno and some paprika, and it was delish.
Amazing, kids loved it, as did I!!!! We did 3 peppers instead. THANKS
I’ve made this a couple of times now and love it. I have swapped the cashews for ground almonds which has smoothed out the texture to perfection at the same time as cutting down on effort. Know what? it doesn’t just go on pasta, it goes in sandwiches, in toasted pitta, on potato salad, you name it; it goes. Had to cut right down on the chipotle though. I’ve only managed to find dried ones in Sainsbury’s and they are HOT!
This is the best mac and cheese recipe I have tried. The brussel sprouts are a fantastic addition, and we have tried it with kale chips too, that was also very tasty.
Great recipe! I’ve tried it using chickpeas in place of cashews and it works just as well. I’ve also used leftover sauce in sandwiches and as a dip for crisps/chips.
Made this tonight and it was a big hit. We both loved it! This is a recipe I would make again! We used cashews and white mellow miso.
The only change I made was to use 2 and half chipotles instead of 4 because I am a spice wimp! It turned out delicious and still had plenty of heat (for me).
I made this the other night, and it was amazing. Might be my new favorite vegan mac and cheese! I absolutely adore you and your recipes, thank you for making it easy to be vegan. Xoxo, C
This is a wonderful recipe! I’ve made it with the pasta before but today I just made the sauce to eat with chips like queso. Lovely vegan (non) junk food.
Okay, I am a very skeptical vegan when it comes to “cheese” sauces. I do have several of your books though and swear by them (made some vegan cupcakes that were to die for yesterday from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World). I have to say that I made this tonight with only using the red pepper substitution and it blew me away. Thank you so much for taking a food I have never tried: brussel sprouts, and something I’ve been wary to make and not only making it easy, but delicious. I really appreciate what you do.
This was my first vegan ‘cheeziness’ attempt and also first time using nutritional yeast. Used a combination of roasted red peppers and chipotle powder in the sauce, and since it is CSA zucchini overload season, roasted that up instead of brussells sprouts. YYYYYYUUUUUUUUUMMMMM. I do have one serious problem which is that I in weight loss mode and had to control my portion which was NOT easy.
i just made this using canned chpoetles and it was really good. I’m going to try toasted crumbs on top or maybe toasted walnuts next time. thanks so much.
I made this with the roasted red pepper (just because that’s what I had), and it was good! I added some Sriracha to spice it up. Good flavor. I also subbed the brussels for edamame (again, because that’s what I had on hand). I would absolutely make this again, and I still want to try this with chipotles.
No broth. Can I use water?
Sure! Just add a bit of extra salt ultimately.
I have made this several times now and I love it. Tonight I was having an “I have a ton of veggies but no ambition to go to the store” moment so I made the sauce with the few cashews I had on hand, supplemented with some almonds. Also, I had no veggie broth so I just used water. I poured the sauce over caramelized onions and sautéed summer squash and, you guessed it, it’s divine. It made a simple sauté into something far more interesting. Thanks!
I tripled the recipe because I’m so fat
I’ve been a skeptic about cheeze (or whatever you’d like to call it) for years. The other day I was inspired to make this and OMG super (not) cheesy, creamy goodness!!! And this is coming from a meat-a-tarian. Thank you 🙂
Thanks!
I made this tonight and it’s so good! Truly a plant based meal one can get excited about! I used the roasted red pepper version since I don’t like spicy food, and it turned out great.
Finally got around to making this last night. It is a delicious dish and super simple. Alas, I had no brussel sprouts so I went without and served with a side of sauteed zucchini and tomatoes. It’s a keeper recipe.
I made this tonight and it was so good! I only used 2 chipotles because I was worried about it being too hot, but I think next time I’ll put all 4 as it was super mild with only 2. It was so creamy and flavorful and easy. I’m not a great cook, but even my very picky boyfriend ate (and enjoyed!) this! I used kale instead of brussels because it was what I had, and it was great.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
you’re a gem for creating this tasty recipe! it’s wonderful vegan comfort food…reminds you of macaroni and cheese but stands on its own as an original. well done 🙂
This was way delicious, but didn’t taste very mac-y! Usually tomato paste and lemon juice will do the trick. I’ll make it with those and report back.
You genius!!! The salty sweetness of the miso mimics cheese so well, this creamy, velvety, rib sticking concoction served with roasters broccoli and cauliflower blew my mind! Even my omni husband who hates Mac and Cheese tasted this and said it was amazing. Thank you!!!!
do you know how much chipotle powder you would recommend as a sub?
We made this last night, and it was phenomenal. (OK, no surprises there. Your recipes are always the bomb diggity.)
Thanks for another yummy dinner!
Looks wonderful! HUGE Brussel Sprouts fan here.
And do not touch your eyes, mouth, or nose (or any other mucous membrane) after handling hot peppers. I’ve even had the vapor waft into my eyes and make them tear badly. I usually de-seed them under running water.
Oh Dear Lord!!! I just made this (using roasted red bell peppers instead of chipotles because a little certain someone runs screaming from anything spicy). DELICIOUS!!
Only problem? I should have doubled it. I will definitely do so the next time 😉
My husband and I made this after going for a run this evening, and I’m not ashamed to admit that a) we put in coconut milk instead of veg broth and b) that we ate the entire batch for dinner. This recipe is going to be a staple this fall in our house. THANKS, ISA!!!!
Yummy, Isa! So fast, easy and comforting. Thanks again!
This looks so tasty!
I’d like to make it but I can’t eat cashews – do you think macadamia nuts (yes, I’m in Australia) would work? They are a very mild white nut. If not, I’ll try it with sunflower seeds!
I’m also not sure I’ll be able to find chipotles in Aus (which is a pity cos they sound delicious!) so I’m thinking of doing the roasted red pepper (do you mean a whole red capsicum roasted and peeled?) and adding a little cayenne pepper for spice.
I always find macadamias too sweet, so I would suggest sunflowers.
I tried this recipe last night and it was phenomenal!!!! My taste buds were in ecstasy! Even my non-vegan and highly skeptical boyfriend loved it and went back for seconds and thirds! I subbed white miso in place of chickpea miso because I didn’t have any chickpea miso and it still turned out amazing! Thanks Isa for coming up with this incredible recipe!
Isa, thank you for making opening my world to the wonders of Brussels sprouts.
You posted this months ago, but I just saw this recipe today and knew I had to try it.
Very good – even the skeptics in the family liked this.
BTW: Only found chipotle peppers in a jar, so used a couple of those (that was enough as those babies are hot!) and it worked out well.
You can totally cheat with ajvar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajvar) in order to get that smoky bell pepper flavor with just the amount of spiciness that you need. Plus, no jalapeno hands! Ajvar is readily available in most supermarkets here in Germany and often comes in both a mild and a hot variation. It also has the benefit of adding some body to your recipe (more sauce, some fruitiness to balance the cheesy flavor). I didn’t have any miso on hand, so I simply used more yeast flakes. I find that cashew butter also works in case you do not want to blend the soaked cashews yourself.
Instead of the brussels I used broccoli (but just because I had it on hand).
Anyway, just wanted to add these changes in a comment because someone might consider them useful. 🙂
I made this for lunch with my mom yesterday – and we both loved it. I followed the recipe exactly, except for using broccoli instead of brussel sprouts. My mom & were laughing because we had to take a sip of cold water between each bite. We didn’t want to stop eating it, even though it was too spicy. (and we know water isn’t what you’re supposed to have when you have something too spicy – but it helped) 🙂 Thanks Isa for another amazing recipe!
I made this with crumbled smoky maple tempeh on top. The brussels are so perfect with the cheesy spicy smokiness. And because I think I’m a super bad a$$ because I’m in the southwest US, I used 7 reconstituted dried chipotles from the farmer’s market. It was AMAZING although next time I’ll calm down and use 4, so it’s more of comfort food and less… exciting. Seriously, cooking, eating, and sharing this recipe just made me HAPPY.
FYI: I soaked the dried chipotles for 1 hour and reserved the liquid for the sauce, scraped the seeds out with a fork. Still, if I didn’t have a very fancy blender, I may have had to soak them overnight.
Wow! This was delicious!! I made it with cashews & almonds. I didn’t have chipotles so I used jalapenos and a pinch of liquid smoke. Also e few sundried tomatos. It was awesome!! And thanks for the cookbook Isa Does It. I made several recipes and they are all delicious!!
I’m soooo excited to make this! I realized I got roasted, unsalted whole cashews. Will this work or should I wait to find raw? Also, I don’t have the miso stuff you mentioned, is there an alternative to that? Thanks!
I really would like to try this recipe but my husband is uber allergic to tree nuts (strangely peanuts and pine nuts are safe). Do you have any suggestions on possible cashew substitutions?