My grandmother made the best baked Mac n cheese and when we were pre-vegan, we made it at least once a month. She used a secret ingredient...Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, man I loved that stuff!! After we became vegan, we thought we had to say good-bye to this family favorite. But I learned how to make mushroom soup and cheddar cheese. Now days, with Veganism on the rise, there are so many fantastic cheese options on the market so I no longer make the cheese for this recipe. I do make other cheeses still.
Below are two different methods, both great, to make baked Mac n Cheese. One with mushroom soup and the other without. My mushroom soup recipe is linked below.
We like to top our baked Mac n Cheese with crushed Italian Stewed Tomatoes.
Grandma Johnson's Baked Mac n Cheese
One box uncooked macaroni
2 cups mushroom soup
3 cups (or more) cheese (any kind, we prefer sharp cheddar)
Topping:
Mix the following ingredients.
1 cup breacrumbs
4 Tbsp melted butter
Instructions
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Heat mushroom soup, add cheese. Wish until cheese has completely melted and it's nice and creamy.
Remove from the heat and mix in the cooked macaroni.
Pour the Mac n cheese into a casserole dish cover with the topping.
Bake for 25-30 until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese (no mushroom soup)
From Glue & Glitter
Ingredients
One box uncooked macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3.5 cups milk
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups cheese (any kind, we prefer sharp cheddar)
Instructions
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Heat the butter in a Dutch oven on medium-low heat. When it's completely melted, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until you've got a thick paste. This takes about 3 minutes.
Slowly add the vegan milk, whisking out any lumps as you go. Once all of the milk is in the pan, add the spices, salt, and pepper.
Bump the heat up to medium, and simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. Keep an eye out, because like cow's milk, vegan milk will get a skin on top if you don't stir often enough. You may need to lower the heat once you get to a simmer to keep it slow and steady - you don't want a rolling boil.
Remove the pan from the heat, and while the milk mixture is still hot, add 1 cup of the shredded vegan cheese, stirring to melt. Add the cooked macaroni, stirring to get a nice, even mix.
Spread the remaining 1 cup of vegan cheese over the top of the macaroni mixture, and bake for 30 minutes.