Chili mac attack!
Is there anything better than feeding a crowd with a super simple (almost) one pot meal. This vegan chili mac and cheese casserole is all cooked in one pot. Then it’s put in a baking dish, topped with vegan cheese and baked. It is hearty, protein full, and crazy delicious. Like a you won’t be able to stop eating this casserole kind of delicious! Luckily this makes a lot!
Do you have family and/or friends coming in to town this holiday season? Throw together this vegan chili mac and cheese casserole to feed everyone an amazing comfort food meal to cure those winter blues! This is also great to satisfy all kinds of food allergy needs.
This vegan chili mac and cheese casserole can be made gluten-free very easily by using gluten free pasta. It is also soy-free and of course dairy-free. So this is a great meal for pretty much everyone. This simple dish is sauteed in garlic and onions. Tomato sauce, veggie broth, kidney beans and black beans. Chili seasoning, and then a delicious cashew cheese sauce. You just cook the pasta in all of the liquid and it thickens into a rich, luscious cheesy chili sauce.
Bake to melt the vegan cheese and make it all bubbly, ooey and gooey. It is so dang good. This tastes like it must be so decadent, but in reality, it’s pretty good for you. I highly recommend throwing this beauty together for either a big family get together, or just a large group in general.
Vegan Chili Mac and Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 4 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1/2 an Onion, chopped
- 1 Can(15oz.) Kidney beans
- 1 Can(15oz.) Black beans
- 4 Cups Vegetable broth, divided
- 1 Can(15oz.) Tomato sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chili powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Cup Raw cashews, soaked
- 2 Tablespoons Nutritional yeast
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
- 16 Ounces Macaroni
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegan Cheddar style shreds for topping(I used Follow your heart)
Instructions
- The first thing you need to do to prep, is to soak the cashews in cold water for at least 8 hours. I just put mine in a bowl of water the day before I plan to make this. Or if you are in a pinch, soak the cashews in boiling water for 15-30 minutes.
- When you are ready, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Then heat the olive oil on medium high in a large pot. Then add the garlic and onions. Saute them, reducing heat as needed, until the onions are translucent. About 3-5 minutes.
- Now, drain the kidney beans and black beans, then add them to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Next, pour in 3 cups of the vegetable broth, the tomato sauce, the chili powder, the cumin and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.
- In the meantime, drain the cashews and add them to a blender with the remaining 1 cup of vegetable broth, the nutritional yeast, the turmeric and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Then, add the cashew cream sauce you made to the pot. Stir to combine everything.
- Once the pot is simmering, add the macaroni. Cook according to package directions until the pasta is al dente, stirring frequently. The liquids will thicken up and turn into a thick, creamy sauce. Test the pasta to make sure it is done. Then adjust seasoning as needed. Add a bit more salt if necessary.
- Now, pour the chili mac into a casserole dish. Top with vegan cheese and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes until the vegan cheese has melted and everything is hot and bubbly. Serve.
Rea
I made this today and it is incredible! It’s everything I expected and more! I love all your recipes and this one is definitely one of my favourites!
Jessie hall
I’m all out of cashews, do you think silkened tofu would be a good option?
Lauren Hartmann
Yes, I think silken tofu would work well! Let me know how it goes.
Katie
I made this last night. Oh my goodness it was so good!! I live in a house with a vegetarian, a omnivore and I am vegan so this was so easy to make work for all of us.
George
Making this soon it looks delicious. What size casserole dish should I use?
Lauren Hartmann
A 9 x 13 rectangular one works, or if you have a square one, a 9 x 9 dish works too!
Laura
Really good! I added about a tablespoon of chili seasoning to the mix for extra flavor because I felt it needed just a tad more “zing”, and it worked out well! I also added vegan meat crumbles and a bit of fresh spinach to the pot, and it added a lot of texture and flavor. I’ll make this one again!
Julia
This is great!! I love how easy and filling it is. I subbed the cashew cream for a butternut squash “cheese” sauce. Served with tortilla chips!
Alaina
Love this recipe! I miss cheesy things and this really hit that hankering. I jazzed it up a bit with a green pepper, chili powder, and mushroom broth instead of vegetable broth(gives that beefy flzvor). This recipe also gave me a good spinoff for some vegan cheesy fiesta dip for parties!
Kylie
This was awesome! I added a little green pepper and delicata squash that I needed to use up, and I used a 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika to the cashew sauce cause I didn’t have turmeric. So good!
Patty
Delicious! So easy to make. I’ve made it twice this week by request. We love it. This will definitely be a regular go to recipe. Thank you!!
Lorene
Delish!!! Got lots of smiles and thumbs up!
Didn’t need to put other Vegan cheese on top just parsley or Cilantro and a few slices of avocado.