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Cheesy Sweet Potato Sauce + Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese

I don’t know if making a cheese sauce from sweet potatoes is actually a thing in the vegan world, but it really should be. Yesterday I was in the kitchen making things up as I went along and discovered that cashews + sweet potatoes + spices makes the most insanely delicious cheese sauce that reminds me a lot of Velveta (who am I kidding, I’ve been vegan for a decade and have no idea what Velveta tastes or even looks like, but I imagine this is what Velveta is like!). It’s so creamy, cheesy, and the perfect orange color. My favorite part, though, is how healthy and unprocessed it is – the #1 ingredient is nutrient-packed sweet potatoes, with some nuts, spices, and almond milk.

I could think of a million ways to use this sauce (nachos come to mind!), but the reason I developed it in the first place was for baked mac and cheese and it really shines here… slather it onto some cooked macaroni with peas and bake until golden on top for something pretty ridiculous:

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups diced orange sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 16 oz whole wheat macaroni
  • 2 cups green peas
  • Parsley, for garnish
  • Blended cashew topping (below)

Prep 1: Soak the cashews in fresh water for 1+ hour to soften before blending

Prep 2: Preheat the oven to 350º F

1. Boil the Potatoes

Peel and dice about 3 cups of sweet potatoes (they’ll be blended eventually so don’t worry about making them look nice) and drop them into boiling water for at least 15 minutes until very tender.

2. Cook the Pasta

Boil a pot of water and cook the macaroni according to package instructions while you…

3. Blend the Sauce

Drain the sweet potatoes and add them to a blender. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender as well. Then add in the: almond milk, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend on high until completely smooth. If it’s too thick, add a few tablespoons of water at a time. Give it a taste and maybe boost the spices, salt, or lemon juice if needed.

4. Combine

If you’re using frozen peas or other veggies, throw them in with the boiling pasta when it’s 95% done just to let them blanch for 1-2 minutes, then drain the pasta + peas through a colander. Return to the pot, pour in the amazing cheese sauce and stir to coat.

Tip: It may seem like you have way more sauce than pasta, but I would be very generous with the sauce. It will dry out as it bakes so make sure the pasta is thoroughly coated. And if you still have extra, save it for nachos 🙂

5. Bake

Transfer the mixture to a dutch oven or similar baking dish. At this point I’d recommend sprinkling on some crumbled cashews to act as a parmesan cheese-like topping. To make that, simply pulverize a few tablespoons of grated cashews with a pinch of salt until finely blended. Sprinkle that on top, then pop the whole thing in the oven (covered) and bake at 350º for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and more grated cashews.

15 Comments

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  1. Hi Andrew, I did your super sauce using peanut butter instead of soaked cashews, and it was delicious !! Using sweet potatoes for creamy texture, combined with smoked paprika for the taste, is brilliant 🙂 Thanks for the share 🙂
    Have a nice week-end!

  2. Just been a vegan for 10 days. I can’t wait to try the vegan mac & cheese. I have already lost 2 1/2 lbs in the first week. My problem so far is that every vegan diet seems to be some type of veggie bowl or veggie casserole. Is there nothing that is just the right portion for a single person living alone? Or can be put in freezer containers and reheated later. I don’t want to eat the same stuff on top of quinoa for the rest of my life. I am 73 and cannot stand up for 2 hours at a time chopping and dicing for just one meal. I had purchased raw cashews at the local Sprouts store because it seems to be a staple in the vegan recipes – but then I saw a presentation documentary that says cashews are not a nut, and that they have chemicals in them that are very bad for human health. ??

    • Hi Sylvia, congrats on going vegan and I’m glad to hear about the initial results! To answer your questions, I have about 300 recipes on this site alone (https://oneingredientchef.com/recipes/) and not all of them are bowls or casseroles, so feel free to browse around my site and others for recipe inspiration. In terms of portion sizes, most recipes can be frozen or the proportions cut in half. I love cashews and I’ve never seen any negative research about them.

  3. I JUST MADE THE VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE AND IT WAS DELICIOUS. I WOULD BE PROUD TO SERVE IT TO ANYONE VEGAN OR NOT. I COULD NOT BEAR TO TOSS THE SAUCE THAT WAS STILL IN THE BLENDER SO I SCRAPED OUT ENOUGH TO TOP A VEGGIE BURGER TONIGHT AND MADE SOME CHEESE BREAD/CASHEW CRUMBS THAT I WILL USE ON THE TOP OF THE NEXT MAC AND CHEESE THAT I MAKE. THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE ON MY MENU FREQUENTLY.

    • NICE! 🙂 I’m glad you liked this sauce as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by to let me know, it means a lot!

  4. Hey, just wanted to let you know that sweet potato cheese should be a thing. I tried your recipe yesterday and it was so satisfying!
    I used steamed broccoli instead of peas and added some chilli tofu sausages because I had to clear out my fridge 😉
    It was very good, looking forward to head zp the remains after my long run later!

    • It really should be a thing! I’m glad you liked it, sounds great with broccoli / tofu… I haven’t had this in a while, I think I will make it this weekend 🙂

  5. Wowza! I LOVE this sauce. I mixed with spaghetti boiled in strained sweet potato water, topped with chopped, sweet black garlic pieces , red chili flakes and parmesan. It was OUTSTANDING. Thanks so much.

  6. This is great! Creates so, so many servings, but great for leftovers. 1.5 tablespoon lemon juice was way to much-I had to counter it with maple syrup. I will add only 1/2 tablespoon-what does the action of lemon juice do? Added chili flakes as well, and more salt. Didn’t use cashews, but increased the milk as I blended. Heated up for leftovers with more milk as well. Overall super super delicious and added to my recipe book!

    • Hi Hannah, very cool! I’m glad you liked it and I appreciate the details on your substitutions. I like to add lemon juice or vinegar to cashew sauces because they can sometimes taste a little “flat” without it, acid makes them a bit brighter but if 1/2 tablespoon is enough, great 🙂

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