Recipes
Samah Dada's Masala Mac & Cheese
Makes 4-5 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion or 1 small one, diced
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1½ cups raw cashews, soaked overnight then drained
- ¼ cup mashed steamed or roasted sweet potato (about ½ medium sweet potato)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus extra (optional) for garnish
- 10 ounces dried short pasta (elbows, bow ties, or penne work well here)
- Handful of fresh cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
method
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until they become translucent and are starting to brown around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Set them aside.
- In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine the drained cashews, mashed sweet potato, sautéed onions, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne. (Hold off on seasoning the sauce with salt and black pepper. You’ve just cooked and seasoned the onions, so we can do this to taste once we do our first round of blending.) Blend on the highest setting until the sauce comes together and is creamy, velvety, and smooth. Don’t be afraid to blend a few times to get it there! Now season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente according to the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse.
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl or serving dish, and pour the sauce over the pasta and stir until everything is thoroughly and deliciously coated. This is a very saucy mac, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Garnish with the cilantro and a dash of cayenne pepper (for an extra kick, if desired).
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