Tender elbow noodles coated in a velvety cashew-potato sauce, topped with a crispy golden breadcrumb crust and baked until bubbly.
Soak cashews in hot water for at least 15 minutes before blending to ensure a silky sauce; do not skip this step. Cook potato until completely tender so it blends into a smooth, creamy base without grittiness.
The breadcrumb topping can be assembled up to 2 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Blend the sauce in batches if your blender is small; do not overfill.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 1 medium russet potato
- 1 lb elbow pasta
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder (for breadcrumb topping)
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 1 medium russet potato
- 1 lb elbow pasta
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder (for breadcrumb topping)
Instructions
Soak the cashews and cook the potato
Pour raw cashews (1 ½ cup) into a bowl and cover with hot water; let soak for 15 minutes.
Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil, add 1 medium peeled and cubed russet potato (1 medium), and simmer until fork-tender, about 8–10 minutes.
Equipment: large pot
Cook the pasta
Add elbow pasta (1 pound) to the same pot with the cooked potato, stir, and cook according to package directions until al dente.
Drain pasta and potato in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water, and set aside.
Make the cashew-potato sauce
Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a high-speed blender with the cooked potato, vegetable broth (2 cup), nutritional yeast (½ cup), 3 minced garlic cloves, lemon juice (2 tablespoon), Dijon mustard (1 tablespoon), smoked paprika (1 teaspoon), sea salt (1 teaspoon), and black pepper (½ teaspoon).
Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy, about 2–3 minutes; if too thick, thin with reserved pasta cooking water 2 tbsp at a time.
Equipment: high-speed blender
Combine pasta and sauce
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Pour the cashew sauce over the cooked pasta and stir until every piece is coated.
Transfer the pasta mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish and spread in an even layer.
Equipment: 9x13 inch baking dish, oven
Prepare and apply the breadcrumb topping
In a small bowl, toss panko breadcrumbs (1 cup) with olive oil (3 tablespoon) and garlic powder (½ teaspoon) until evenly moistened.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the pasta.
Equipment: small bowl
Bake until bubbly and golden
Bake uncovered at 375°F until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the breadcrumb crust is deep golden brown, about 25–30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Equipment: oven
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Soak cashews in hot water for at least 15 minutes before blending to ensure a silky sauce; do not skip this step.
- • Cook potato until completely tender so it blends into a smooth, creamy base without grittiness.
- • Blend the sauce in batches if your blender is small; do not overfill.
- • For extra umami depth, add 1 tbsp of miso paste to the sauce before blending.
- • The breadcrumb topping can be assembled up to 2 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- • If sauce seems too thick after blending, thin with additional vegetable broth 1 tbsp at a time.
- • Nutritional yeast provides a cheesy, savory flavor essential to vegan mac and cheese; do not omit.
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