Vegan Dinners
Macaroni & Cheese
An All-American Favorite Made Vegan

Nothing is more heart and stomach warming than the all-American meal of Macaroni and Cheese. This recipe is quick and easy and freezes for quick meal planning.

Pre-Cooking Preparation
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Start 6 quarts of water to boil for the pasta.

I used small macaroni thimbles for this Macaroni & Cheese.

Ingredients
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.
Macaroni... thimbles or elbow
Start 6 quarts of water to boil for the pasta.
1 tablespoon Sea Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Béchamel "White" Sauce
1 quart boxed unsweetened plain soymilk
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup organic unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 ounces Galaxy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, grated
5 ounces Galaxy Vegan Cheddar Cheese, grated

Au Gratin-Topping
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced rounds for topping
5 slices barely or whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons olive oil

Tools
8 quart pan for pasta cooking
2- 1.5 quart heavy bottomed sauce pans
measuring spoons
measuring cups
scale
Cuisinart Food Processor
grater
serrated knife
long handled spoon
glass casserole dish or dishes (14-cup capacity)
colander

Preparation
Béchamel "White" Sauce
Pour the 5 tablespoons of olive oil into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and add the flour. Cook the flour in the oil for five minutes over medium heat.

In another sauce pan, heat the soymilk to a simmer.

Slowly whisk soymilk into the cooked flour mixture, constantly stirring.

Add sea salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Begin adding 1/4 cup amounts of the grated cheeses while continuing to whisk.

Once the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth, set the pan aside.

Au Gratin Topping
In a Cuisinart, fitted with the knife blade, pulse the bread till it resembles fine bread crumbs.

Add the olive oil and pulse again to distribute evenly throughout the bread crumbs.

Slice 2 medium sized tomatoes into thin rounds.

Pasta
Once the water has come to a full boil, add the salt, olive oil and pasta..

Stir the pasta often and test for doneness by tasting a piece.

Cook macaroni pasta until it is 'al dente'... firm, but cooked through.

Remember that pasta continues to cook AFTER you have drained it, so keep that in mind when testing for doneness... undercooked slightly is okay since this will be baked as a casserole.

Drain the pasta.

Drained macaroni added to sauce.

Add the béchamel cheese sauce to the pasta and gently fold to coat each piece.

Sauced Macaroni Added to Casserole Dish

Pour the cheese coated pasta into a non-stick oil sprayed casserole dish or dishes.

Au Gratin Topping
Bread Crumb Topped Macaroni and Cheese

Top the pasta with the au gratin bread topping.

Tomatoes Dress Up the Traditional Macaroni & Cheese

Arrange the tomatoes over the top.

Spray or brush the tomatoes with olive oil.

Bake the Mac & Cheese at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Broil the Topping
Brush Olive Oil On The Tomatoes Before Broiling

Before serving, broil the top under the broiler on a low shelf to prevent burning.

Once the top is golden brown, remove and serve.

Vegetable Side Dish
Steam or stir-fry one or two of your favorite vegetables to go beside this delicious macaroni cheese dish.

Presentation
Serve the Vegan Macaroni & Cheese with your favorite vegetable... my mom always served it with sweet peas.

This makes a great casserole to take to someone that's sick or to a potluck type meal.

Try making 1 medium and two small casseroles... the smaller ones can be frozen and slowly reheated in the oven when needed.

For an elegant informal dinner party, create individual casserole baking dishes. Then put them on a larger plate with the vegetables when serving guests.