Name: Soy-Free Nut-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 oz, pasta of choice (use gluten-free pasta if needed); 10-12 oz frozen peas; 1 batch cheese sauce; 3 tablespoons, parm topping, optional

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This easy Soy-Free Nut-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas is delicious, creamy, and ready in 20 minutes or less! A great meal for kids AND adults, this dish is pure cozy comfort food.

Throwback to your childhood: Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas! Well, probably drop the vegan part since I don’t know many people who grew up vegan. Most people I know at one point enjoyed a bowl of noodles and cheesy sauce from the familiar blue box.

I had it incredibly often. I’ve alluded before to the fact that I would go through food ~~ruts~~ phases as a child.

There was a time I’d only eat bowls of olives and shredded cheese. And there certainly was a time I’d only eat Mac n’ Cheese from a powdered base, mixed with butter and milk.

I stopped eating it around age 11, when I learned I was lactose intolerant. I continued to ignore my body’s pleas to stop eating dairy for a long time. However, I think I began to eat other things so my parents didn’t need to continue buying it for me.

Fast forwarding to adulthood *shudder*… I enjoy pasta (a little too much) in all forms, but there’s still a soft spot for pasta in a cheesy sauce.

What’s in Soy-Free Nut-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas?

You can certainly use any cheeze sauce you like in this recipe, but if I may be a bit cheeky, I’d recommend this one. Yes, it’s my own recipe, but seriously, it’s pretty awesome.

White beans are blended with spices, nutritional yeast, and a small amount of tahini to add a rich creaminess that only a higher fat item like cashews can provide. The amount, however is very small, so you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying it.

To also alleviate guilt (which I’m only joking about–I don’t believe in feeling guilty over food – more on that in another post), I recommend adding in some veggies! I personally love how the peas add a hint of sweetness, pack some good protein, and when they kind of ‘pop’ in your mouth.

The awesome thing about the peas is you can use frozen peas! They’re cheap and you can keep them on hand for meals such as this when you have no time and want to get dinner on the table, or just feel like a comforting meal.

However, this recipe is also great with some wilted kale (or you can make kale chips for a fun crunch!), broccoli, mushrooms (especially if you marinate them and sautee them seperately!), sundried tomatoes, carmelized onions… need I go on?

But for now, we’ll keep the recipe simple.

How to Make Soy-Free Nut-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas

All you have to do is boil water, throw in some pasta, and the best thing about using frozen peas is you can throw them into the same pot as the pasta while the pasta is cooking.

You can use any type of pasta in this recipe that you’d like. I often make it with chickpea pasta for extra protein, but my favorite is shells. Shells in a cheezy sauce are amazing because they act like little pockets for the sauce, bursting like a gusher when you bite down.

To take this recipe to the next level, transfer the sauced pasta and peas to a baking dish, sprinkle with my vegan parm topping or some breadcrumbs (or rice crumbs, if gluten-free), and bake until the top starts to turn golden brown.

It’s a great feel-good option for when you’re cold, sick, tired, or just wanting a comforting bowl of cheezy, starchy goodness. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

As always, let me know if you make this recipe and please tag #Zardyplants and mention me @Zardyplants so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

<3

Liz

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