Saffron Mac and Cheese

a classic but all grown up

I know all the vegan/plant-based curious people here have made some form of this absolutely classic vegan mac and cheese: carrots, potatoes, cashews, nooch, you know the drill. Maybe it was even your hyper fixation meal for it while, it was definitely mine. I used to make this for my roommates in first year of uni and they all proceeded to make fun of me several years following and send me memes like this:

But low key I know they all loved it, and that has pretty much been the experience for everyone I’ve made this for. It’s so good and even though people on the internet and at large love to make fun of vegans for their weird food hacks, substitutes, and mimicry of non-vegan dishes, this one is simply good in its own right, whether it tastes like ‘real’ mac and cheese or not. I mean, even most of the ‘real’ mac and cheese out there (i.e. the box stuff) doesn’t use real cheese.

While I’m no longer 100% plant-based, I still crave this from time-to-time, especially now that I’ve upgraded to a more adult version, roasting the veg with a whole bulb of garlic and adding saffron in the form of saffron dijon. Saffron adds some extra vibrance and also lends some pungent floral notes that make me feel fancy. Complete with a crispy Panko topping (a non-negotiable for mac and cheese in my opinion), this one is not to be missed.

Vegan Saffron Mac and Cheese

(serves 2-3)