I’ve made many a vegan mac ‘n’ cheese over the years, even some great ones, but they are complicated affairs using many ingredients to achieve an acceptable flavor. Traditionally making home made macaroni and cheese is very simple, essential a bachamel sauce (milk gravy) with cheese added. After discovering Daiya cheese, I decided to try a traditonal recipie. It turned out wonderfully, perhaps even the best vegan mac I have ever had. For this batch I used cheddar flavor Daiya for the sauce and “Italian Blend” for the top. While the texture and melting of Daiya is excellent, the flavor is mild (although excellent), so in the future I may experiment with adding other vegan cheeses or other ingredients to give it a sharper flavor.

Daiya Mac ‘n’ Cheese

1 lb macaroni
1 Tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter
1 Tbsp flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
salt and pepper
2 cups Daiya shreds, plus 1/2 cup for the top
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook macaroni until it is just a little under done (should still be a little chewy) drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt Earth Balance over medium high heat. Stir in flour to make a roue. Stir in milk and whisk to incorporate and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of Daiya and cook, stirring, until melted. Remove from heat and add macaroni, stirring to coat pasta well. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish and top with remaining 1/2 cup Daiya cheese. Toss bread crumbs with olive oil and paprika and spread evenly over the macaroni. Bake for about 30 min until bread crumbs are nicely browned. Remove from oven and let cool for about five min before serving.