This is no ordinary macaroni by any standards. I specialize in various different types of macaroni bakes – but today, I lost the plot in the kitchen as I was resolute in my decision to create the best ever baked macaroni in the universe. How was I going to do this ? I guess, by believing I had the tools and the “mind-taste” synchrony on my side – and today the culinary Midas touch was abundant in me, and about me. The result – in a word, SUBLIME !
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- olive oil for frying
- 1 cup chopped porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups soya mince, or other vegan mince of your choice – I use Linda McCartney Veggiemince (OR 2 cups chopped pecan nuts)
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp curry powder
- a little fresh thyme
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 10 Greek or Cypriot black olives (the salted ones), pitted & chopped (optional)
- 2 cups spinach
- ½ cup red pepper, finely chopped
- paprika for dusting on top of the dish before baking
- extra olive oil
- extra vegan cheese of your choice
- 400g ribbed macaroni (rigatoni or tortiglioni), boiled & then rinsed in cold water, then set aside in a large bowl.
INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING
- 2 parsnips, chopped into small squares. Steam until a little soft, then set aside until cooled.
WHITE ‘CHEESE’ SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup soya cream, or other thin vegan cream of your choice (preferably not nut milk, as it over thickens)
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup of vegan grated melting cheese
- a pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground garlic
METHOD FOR THE WHITE ‘CHEESE SAUCE’
Just place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Then heat up in a small casserole until it thickens nicely – it needs to be a medium thick consistency, not a blob, so you can still manage to pour it.
Optional extra grated fake parmesan cheese :
(for topping on the dish or for serving at table)
- ½ cup of mixed cashews & almonds
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- a little salt to taste
Mix together in the food processor, and use as grated cheese.
METHOD FOR THE SAUCE
Heat up your oil in a large non-stick pan, add the onion, and stir for a minute until cooked. Then add the chilli, garlic and your mushrooms, whilst continuing to stir. Now add in the vegan mince (or crushed pecan nuts), mix, then add the coriander seeds and curry powder, and continue mixing.
Next, add in the spinach and red peppers – lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Taste for salt, as it will need some.
Finally, grease a deep oven-proof dish (minimum 3” deep), tip your macaroni into the sauce, and give it a good old toss, making sure everything has blended well.
Place half the macaroni mix into your dish, then pour over all your white sauce on top of it, sprinkle a handful of parsnips in at this point, and place some more vegan cheese dotted around the dish.
Now add the remaining macaroni, then add the remaining parsnips on top with your hands, drizzle on some olive oil, and sprinkle some more salt, paprika, and a little more thyme if you like. Also, turn a few pieces of macaroni outwards to face north – to stand up vertically, as per my pics. They will likely slightly burn, but they will be crunchy and very yummy – I only have them like this once in a blue moon, but they’re worth it !
Bake in a hot oven (200C) for 40 minutes, or until dark golden on top.
Serve with a plain herb green salad of your choice.
MMMMMmmelt and Enjoy !!!!
All recipes, content & design © Miriam Sorrell www.mouthwateringvegan.com 2010
These are free recipes for your pleasure – all we ask in return is that you take a few moments to leave a constructive comment !
Can’t wait to try this!! Will let you know how it turns out 🙂
Hi there dear Sara, thanks for your comment – I cannot wait for your feedback either ! Happy New Year 2012 to you and your loved ones. Cheers !
That’s Miriam, I’m going to make this for dinner tonight!
Lori Hi there and thanks for dropping by with your comment, I think you might like this one, I certainly hope so – I very much look forward to your feedback & Happy New Year 2012 to you and your loved ones too !
I did make it last night as promised. I never would think to add coriander to something like this but I absolutely loved it! We are having the left overs for dinner again tonight. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Lori, thanks so much for dropping by with your comment – it’s the coriander seeds that I used, just making sure that that is what you used too ! So glad you enjoyed it, it’s one of those gratifying meals ! Look forward to your future visits here. Cheers !
I cant hardly wait to try it. It looks very delicious. I never tried coriander in a macaroni dish, it should be interesting.
Hi Barbara and thanks for dropping by here. Remember the coriander is in seed form and I look forward to your comment/feedback once you have tried it too ! Very best to you !
soooooo good! i made this 2 nights ago and both i and my husband loved it! and i should add that it was even better the next night as left overs. the only change i did was add more garlic since were abit of garlic freaks. loved it and thank you so much for the great recipe. such a great one to share with non veggie friends as well.
Billie Hi there and welcome here. Thanks so much for dropping by here and for your great comment – I have to agree with you on all accounts here. It is one of those dished that tastes even better the next day, one can never have to much garlic if you love it as we do too, and it’s a super dish for non-vegans too, full of colour, texture and richness. I hope you try more of my recipes as and when and drop by with your future comments too Billie – Cheers to you !
Just as I was about to get off the internet, I stumble on your blog and every recipe is indeed mouthwatering! Thanks for sharing these recipes.
Hi there and thanks for your comment – L/Vegans, hope you enjoy the recipes too and glad you like what you see. Best to you.
I would love to be able to share this recipe, any chance you could add a post button or share button? This looks absolutely delicious and I am sending the recipe to my email to bring it up in the grocery !
Hi there Colleen and thanks for the comment – I don’t think that I can do that because of the set up. Feel free to copy the link if you wish though. Hope this helps and look forward to your comments on my blog. Cheers to you !
As I said at FB too, you can do no wrong with pasta, Miriam. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I have all the ingredients assembled or know where I can get them (this recipe is not to exotic for getting ingredients in Japan).
My supply of soy cheese has disappeared though. No fresh thyme is not available either. But you make me brave enough to try a substitute.
Hi there Charles and thanks for popping by with your comment. Little can go wrong with past, overcooking it, letting a sauce dry out too much in it, but making a feast out of can be a very satisfactory experience. I don’t know if you have access to nutritional yeast in Japan, because you could make a little vegan cheese sauce by using cashew nuts, water, nutritional yeast in a blender, heat ingredients up and if you need to thicken just add a little flour and salt, always taste for sharpness and flavour so that the end result is according to your personal taste, and remember to heat up on a very low setting/flame. Thyme, just use oregano instead, or marjoram. Enjoy and let me know how it all goes – otherwise try out my newly posted pesto – it;s fast and very delicious too ! Cheers to you Charles.
Oh my vegan goodness Miriam!! That looks amazing! My daughter saw this & said “Mom, can you PLEASE make that? I’ll help u.” I will let u know how it turns out. :o)
Tania Hi there and thanks for dropping by here with your wonderful comment. I shall look forward to your feedback (and your daughters’s too) on this recipe and hope you enjoy it as much as we and others did. Best and Cheers to you both in the meantime.
I made it for lunch and we all loved it, delicious! Thank you Miriam!
Hi there Veronica and welcome to my site. Many thanks indeed for dropping by here with your comment and I am delighted that you enjoyed this recipe of mine and hope you enjoy many others from here too. To that end I look forward to your future comments on my blog. Cheers to you & Best.
Make it yesterday for super bowl, as usual it was a hit. Tks
Hi Ruth, thanks for dropping by and letting me know that this dish was a hit ! Am delighted. Cheers to you as always !
Thanks, this looks great. I don’t have many of the white sauce ingredients, but it’s inspired me to make something similar for dinner tonight.
Great website!
Joanna Hi there and thanks for your comment – hope you enjoy your Macaroni Madness and all goes well. Thanks for the compliment and Cheers to you !
This was a hit at my daughter’s birthday party! Thank you Miriam!
Alyssa many thanks for the feedback on this recipe and so glad it was a hit at your daughter’s birthday ! Cheers and best to you !
I often drool over the recipes I find here, but this was my first time using one. I just made this macaroni bake for myself and my non-vegan husband. We both loved it! The cheese sauce recipe is wonderful I can see myself using it again in other recipes that necessitate some sort of creamy sauce. However, we are extremely new to coriander! When I read the recipe, I accidentally used 1 tbsp. The taste is so specific and spicy, and absolutely necessary to the recipe, but that much coriander will really make your eyes water. This pasta bake was still wonderful, though. I will definitely make this again (with the correct amount of coriander). Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
Shelbi Hi there and welcome here. Many thanks for dropping by here with your wonderful and detailed comment. I am delighted that you and your husband enjoyed my Macaroni and that you also enjoyed the cheese sauce – it really works well doesn’t it, I use it for other dishes too ! Yes, unfortunately you accidentally used 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds instead of 1/2 a teaspoon, so that’s 6 times more !!! I am surprised the bake was still good and wonderful and I look forward to your feedback again. Meantime I think you will love this recipe of mine http://www.mouthwateringvegan.com/2012/03/18/spicy-rice-quinoa-bake-with-layered-eggplant-cheezy-topping/ let me know how it goes if you try it at some point. Very Best to you & thanks for your compliment on my recipes too ! Cheers !
This dish was amazing! And so easy to make 🙂 I think the thing I liked best about it was the creamy texture that isn’t always found in vegan dishes…this one is a keeper!
Sara Hi there and many thanks for your comment. You are right about the texture of this dish. I would love for you to try out the new post for my pesto – it’s quick and easy to make and is full of flavour, I think you might love the taste and different mingling flavours – I posted it up last night. Cheers to you !
I just made this for dinner and it was fabulous!! My husband and I are fairly new to vegan, so I am in the process of trying different recipes and this one is going to be a staple for me. Thank you so much for all the great recipes. Some of the desserts I will try and make soon. Those look delicious as well. Did you say you have a recipe book out? If so, I will definitely buy it 🙂
Hi there Kathy and welcome here. I am delighted with your comment, and so glad you and your husband have enjoyed this recipe. Please go to my categories and try some others from there too – the pasta dishes (especially my latest pesto) are very easy and fast to make and sublime. I very much look forward to your future comments on my blog and yes, my book will be published and out for sale in some months from now. I shall take your name details and contact you closer to the time to notify you Kathy. Meantime, please visit again and any questions do let me know. Cheers & Very Best to You !
Hi Miriam…I made this yesterday for my daughter and her partner and it was very popular. I omitted the olives and chili as they don’t care for them and used more mushrooms, used rice flour instead of tapioca flour as I couldn’t get it and made a nut cream from cashews. Thanks again for a great recipe.
Hi there Lesley and thanks for popping back here with your feedback – sounds like a resounding success and glad it was all enjoyed. Great thing about it is you can vary the veggies from time to time for a change. I look forward to your future comments on my blog and all the best to you in the meantime !
Hi
As soon as I stumbled on this pix I said Oh this is a local timpana!!! I booked it for a future attack ha ha.
Good day.
Hi Joe, it does resemble timpana, but isn’t the exact same, no pastry around it for a start, but a little healthier and a tad different in taste. Best.
This one’s turn now. Do you soak the mince beforehand? 10Q
No need to soak it if you are using frozen veg mince (I used the Linda McCartney mince). If however you are using the dried soya mince, then hydrate it with a little hot water. Follow packet instructions.
Hi Miriam
Yummy yummy Excellent dish. I had the heck of a time trying to measure frozen raw spinach with a cup. Didn’t wish to cook more than necessary. Another thing North is NOT upward but straight ahead as the compass points ha ha!
Joking apart wonderful recipe. BTW I got the whole top really brown crunchy as we M. folks love it.
Joe Hi there and thanks for your feedback on this dish. I am delighted that you have made and enjoyed this dish, well done. My pastizzi recipes will be published in my upcoming book. Cheers !
Your recipes have inspired me to begin the transition from confirmed carnivore to vege/vegan. Miriam I had NO idea that vegan food could look so good and have my mouth watering in anticipation. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!
Hi there Skwirell and welcome here. Many thanks for taking the time to drop by here with your comment. I am most delighted that I have inspired you to begin the transition to go Vegan/Veg – that’s pretty awesome. Make sure you stock your pantry up with a few basic essentials, so that your transition will be a smooth one. I would suggest that you purchase nutritional yeast, as this will help to give many of the recipes a cheesy taste/flavour, and because I include it in some of my recipes. Let me know how things go and if I can help I certainly will. Best wishes your way and a huge kudos to you for being inspired !!! I look forward to your future comments on my blog !
This looks so delicious, I started to immediately salivate when I saw the pictures. I am certain I can accomplish this with my limited culinary skills. Thanks for sharing.
Hi there PfairMSW and thanks for your comment. I do hope you make this and let me know how it goes as and when. Best wishes your way in the meantime !
Hi Miriam,
Looks and sounds fantastic – I made a macaroni bake a few days ago – but yours certainly looks more impressive.
Wish I could taste it!
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes – I am certainly learning from you.
Hi there Shirley and thank you for dropping by here with your wonderful comment. I hope you try it the next time Macaroni is on the menu. I look forward to your future comments on my blog and best wishes your way in the meantime !
Hi Miriam, I love your recipes, I think you are a genius. I’ve been a vegan for over a year and love it so much. I haven’t been doing too much cooking though lately but whenever I want to feed a non-vegan person I come to your page because I know everybody will love whatever I find here. This was delicious, it’s such an interesting blend of flavours and ingredients. I have two kids and my eight year old passed on desert last night to have a second serving on this baked macaroni madness!! Well done.
Hi there Laurissa and welcome here. Thanks so much for your very kind words. I am delighted that you have tried this baked macaroni of mine and really glad that your son preferred seconds over dessert, that really is awesome ! I am also happy that you make my dishes for non-vegan guests. I very much look forward to your future comments on my blog. Best wishes your way !
Miriam, hello, this looks so delish, it has alot of ingredients and i am on a budget, do you think i could cut anything out, or also will these items be good to have stocked and keep, so that i could use in others….very limited right now in my options………..thanks so much!
Camie Hi there, thanks for dropping by here with your comment. I am going to suggest an alternative route for you and one that is more affordable also – make my bolognese sauce, omit the wine in it – here is the link to it http://www.mouthwateringvegan.com/2012/10/30/bolognese-madness/ – (you may use another form of ground vegan mince) and use that as your sauce, mix it with the pasta (macaroni) and add some vegan cheese and a little vegan milk and bake. This is an easier method and option. Hope this helps and best wishes your way in the meantime. 🙂
Made this tonight – absolutely delicious! Wondered how the parsnips would taste – they add a little tang to the bite. I did use an almond milk and found it didn’t cause the sauce to be too thick. Tastes very rich. Added the faux Parmesan – delicious! Might add an extra chili fir more hear, as well as double the mushrooms.
Thank you for Nother amazing recipe!!!
P.S. we make vegan fried ‘eggs’ for brunch every weekend – heavenly!
Heat & another 🙂 shouldn’t do this on a mobile device!
MJ that simply sounds awesome and I agree about the mushrooms. Purchased almond milk should not thicken as it is emulsified and diluted enough not to, but homemade may yield a thicker consistency that often thickens a little when heated. I am also glad you enjoy my ‘fried eggs’ on the weekend too. Best your way MJ ! 🙂
Made it for dinner and it was absolutely delicious, loved the flavours. Between me and my husband, there was no leftovers!
Thnaks again for another great recipe
Hi there Isabel, so glad you made and enjoyed this recipe, and I look forward to your future comments on my blog ! Best your way in the meantime ! 🙂