Vegan Bunny Elle

Cheesy, gooey, cozy baked mac n’ cheese stuffed in a pumpkin with a golden, crispy, flavorful breadcrumb topping.

A cozy hearty bowl of mac n’ cheese is literally synonymous with comfort food but let’s temper with perfection and amp up the satisfaction level even more! I added a sweet and spicy kick with Thai chili paste and a layer of contrasting crispy texture with seasoned breadcrumbs.

As for pasta choice, macaroni is of course a classic pick but to make it festive, I used the Zucchette pasta shape, which literally means little squashes or little pumpkins in Italian. And I used a hollowed out sugar pie pumpkin instead of a ramekin as the baking vessel, serving big flavors and fall vibes in one dish~

Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese

Cheesy, gooey, cozy baked mac n’ cheese stuffed in a pumpkin with a golden, crispy, flavorful breadcrumb topping.

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Ingredients Method Video

Ingredients

  

• 10 oz dry pasta of choice
• 4 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1 tablespoon Thai chili paste optional
• 2 tablespoon all purpose flour or use gluten-free flour
• 1 can coconut milk white part only
• 2 cup vegan shredded cheddar
• 1 cup vegan shredded mozzarella
• 1 pie pumpkin optional
• Salt and black pepper

For the breadcrumb topping-

• 1 cup panko breadcrumb
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Oil spray or more vegan butter

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, if using a pumpkin, pre-bake the pumpkin at 390°F for 35 minutes;
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add a few good pinch of salt, cook the pasta until they’re al dente, cooking time depends on the pasta shape you chose;
3. Drain the pasta and drizzle a little olive oil on them to prevent sticking;
4. In a large pan, melt the vegan butter over medium heat, add the chili paste if using, stir the chili paste into the melted butter;
5. Whisk in the flour, make sure it’s smooth and no lump remains, then stir in the coconut milk;
6. Add in the vegan cheese, stir to combine, then cover the pan with the lid and keep heating over medium-low heat until the cheese is completely melt, stir occasionally to prevent burning and also helps the cheese melt;
7. Once all the cheese is melted, add in the cooked pasta, toss to coat all the pasta evenly with the cheese sauce, season with more salt and black pepper to taste;
8. If using a pumpkin, slice off the stem side as a lid, remove all the seeds and “guts”, stuff the mac and cheese inside the pumpkin;
9. If not using a pumpkin, transfer pasta to a ramekin;
10. Mix together all the breadcrumb topping ingredients, sprinkle the breadcrumb over the pasta and completely cover the top, spray with a little oil or add a few pieces of vegan butter on top;
11. Bake for 30 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden, serve hot, enjoy!

Video