French Onion Mac n Cheese

The perfect comfort food to eat sat by a crackling fire with fluffy socks and a glass of wine.

45 minutes cook

Serves 4

Mia Jacobs

Twisted: Unserious food tastes seriously good.

Ingredients

For the mac n cheese

40gvegan butter (from a block not a tub)

1bay leaf

2springs thyme

2onions, thinly sliced

75gcashews

85mlvegan white wine

2garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp soy sauce/Henderson’s relish/vegan Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tbspdijon mustard

1-2 tbspnutritional yeast

150gvegan cheddar

150gvegan mozzerella

1/2small baguette

This delightful dish is a fusion of my two favourite dishes, French Onion soup and Mac n Cheese. The onion gives so much depth of flavour and the umami-ness helps to mask the coconutty taste that can often come with vegan cheeses, so it's a great one to cook when you're trying to impress vegan skeptics!

Method

Soak the cashews in 100ml boiling water for at least 45 mins (this is to ensure you get a super smooth cream).

Heat a medium saucepan over a medium low heat. Add in the vegan butter and melt. Tip in the onions, bay leaves and thyme, and cook down for about 20-25 mins until they’re completely soft, and start to turn a lovely golden brown. The longer and lower you cook them the jammier and more flavourful they’ll be.

Take the soaked cashews and blend with water until you reach a double cream consistency.

Add the garlic to the onions and cook for another few minutes. Add the white wine and cook off over a medium heat.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme then pour in the cashew cream with 250ml water, Henderson’s relish, mustard, vegan cheeses and nutritional yeast.

Season with salt and pepper and more nutritional yeast if you fancy. Tip in your cooked pasta along with 50-100ml of pasta water to loosen the sauce.

Tip into a large oven safe dish, cover with the breadcrumbs, more cheese and some chopped thyme leaves then place under a grill until everything is bubbly and crisp. Serve immediately and enjoy.