Enjoy a vegan take on a favorite comfort food with this One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese. This recipe borrows from a technique used in classical French cuisine known as a roux, which gives a smooth, creamy texture. Amazingly flavorful, but still quick and easy! Great for those long winter nights.

What is a roux?

A roux is used as a base for creating sauces in French cooking. A roux is created by melting butter over low heat, then adding flour and allowing it to cook for a few minutes until it gets slightly golden. Not only does this create the thickener, cooking the flour helps remove the floury taste and grittiness from the final sauce. Liquid is then slowly added. It is important to add the liquid a little at a time and whisk well each time. At first you will have a very thick paste. As you continue adding liquid, you will eventually get a very thick and creamy sauce. This recipe combines a few extra ingredients into the roux, so it may look a little clumpy. As long as you slowly add the liquid and whisk each time, you will end up with a smooth sauce.

Al dente pasta

“Al dente” translates as “to the tooth” in Italian. It means that the pasta has some bite to it and isn’t mushy. Because you are setting the pasta aside and then adding it to the sauce, you’ll want to slightly undercook both the pasta and the broccoli. They will continue to cook after you drain them and when you add them to the sauce. Undercooking by about a minute should get you the right consistency in the end and helps the pasta absorb the sauce. My go-to pasta brand is Barilla, but whatever brand you use, make sure to pay attention to the cooking time listed for “al dente” on the package.

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One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Servings 4

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Strainer
  • Whisk
  • Spoonula or wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Elbow macaroni
  • 4 cups Broccoli florets fresh, not frozen
  • ¼ cup Vegan butter
  • ¼ cup All-purpose flour
  • ½ cup Nutritional yeast flakes
  • 2 Tbs White miso paste
  • 2 Tbs Spicy brown mustard
  • 1 cup Neutral flavored non-dairy milk
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbs White wine vinegar

Instructions

  • Cook the elbow macaroni according to package directions, but reduce the "al dente" cooking time by 1 minute.
  • Chop the broccoli into smaller pieces if needed. Add the broccoli to the pasta for the final 4 minutes of the cook time.
  • Strain the pasta and broccoli and set aside.
  • Melt the butter over medium-low heat in the same saucepan used to cook the pasta. Sprinkle in the flour and allow to cook for about 3 minutes until slightly golden.
  • Add the nutritional yeast, miso paste, and spicy brown mustard. Whisk to combine with the roux.
  • Add the milk. Add only about ¼ cup at first, whisking to combine with the roux. This should create a thick paste. Continue adding the milk in ¼ cup increments, whisking each time.
  • Turn the heat up to medium-high. Whisk the sauce as it thickens. Continue until you can see the ribbon pattern remaining as you whisk.
  • Add the white wine vinegar and whisk to combine.
  • Return the pasta and broccoli to the pot. Stir to coat in the sauce.