You'd Never Know This "Lobster" Mushroom Mac 'N' Cheese Is 100% Vegan
Mac 'n' cheese is like the holy grail of vegan cooking, a must-have on every vegan restaurant's menu and in every vegan home because we all need a little pasta and cheese in our lives. But this is no ordinary mac 'n' cheese. It's a classy, sophisticated version that is elevated with the addition of lobster mushrooms, probably the most fun plant-based proxy!
They are orangish-reddish in color, kind of look like cooked lobster meat and have a faint seafood-esque flavor. Mixed with an extra-decadent cheese sauce made with roasted garlic, this basic casserole is not so basic. Make it on date night, and serve it with a glass of Champagne!
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Lobster Mushroom Mac 'n' Cheese
Serves 4 to 6
For the lobster mushrooms:
- 1 oz. (28 g) dried lobster mushrooms, soaked overnight
For the cheese sauce:
- 1 cup (240 ml) cashew cream (blend of soaked cashews and water)
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) melted refined coconut oil
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) ume plum vinegar
- 2 tbsp. (16 g) nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp. (15 g) mashed roasted garlic
- 1 tbsp. (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. (17 g) mellow white miso
- Pinch of salt
For the mac 'n' cheese:
- ½ lb. (226 g) uncooked cavatappi
- 1½ tbsp. (8 ml) good olive oil, divided
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (60 ml) mushroom soaking liquid, strained well
- ¾ cup (180 ml) water
- 2 tbsp. (16 g) seasoned breadcrumbs
Method:
- To prepare the mushrooms, lift them out of the soaking liquid, squeezing them as you go, and add them to a strainer. Rinse the mushrooms to remove any grit. Chop into bite-size pieces and set aside.
- Strain the soaking liquid through a paper towel and set aside.
- To prepare the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the water, and put the pasta back into the same pot.
- To make the cheese sauce, add cashew cream, oil, vinegar, nutritional yeast, roasted garlic, lemon juice, miso, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth. The cheese sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If it has thickened up, add a splash of water and mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C, or gas mark 4). Place a 1¾-quart (1.6-L) baking dish on top of a half sheet pan.
- Heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. When it starts shimmering, add the shallots and salt, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped mushrooms to the shallots and stir around. Add the mushroom soaking liquid and water and bring to a high simmer. Cook low, slow and uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost evaporated and the mushrooms are soft, about 30 minutes.
- Pour the mushroom-shallot mixture and cheese sauce over the pasta. Use tongs to gently mix everything together. Add a little pasta water to make the sauce silky.
- Pour the entire mixture into the baking dish. In a small mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and ½ tablespoon oil, working it all together until the oil is completely incorporated into the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top of the mac 'n' cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the top looks crispy and the sauce is bubbling. Let stand for at least 10 minutes to cool slightly.
- Note: Dried mushrooms can be found in the market or ordered online. They are easy to reconstitute, but there is some difference of opinion on whether or not to use the soaking liquid for cooking. On the pro side, the liquid is full of flavor. On the con side, there may be some grit left over. Not one to waste a thing in the kitchen, I recommend straining the liquid through a paper towel and using it in the sauce. If you are concerned, strain it twice—or leave it out and substitute water or vegetable stock.
Recipe excerpted with permission from Wait, That's Vegan?! by Lisa Dawn Angerame, published by Page Street Publishing Company on February 4, 2020.
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Lisa Dawn is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher, a Senior Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Teacher, has trained with Jonny Kest and Paul Grilley, and is certified to teach pre and postnatal yoga. In 2010 she co-founded Nava NYC, a company dedicated to bringing yoga and meditation into the workplace. Lisa is also the founder of Lisa’s Project: Vegan, a blog making delicious vegan meals accessible to all. She is a graduate of Rouxbe Online Culinary School, where she received her title as a Certified Plant-Based Professional, and holds her certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell. She is also the author of Wait, That's Vegan?! Lisa and her family live in New York City.