The best vegan macaroni and cheese recipe you will find. The sweet corn and BBQ flavors combine to create a delicious taste that is sure to please. Vegan, gluten-free and lower in fat than regular macaroni and cheese!
This recipe is a quick change-up from the traditional macaroni and cheese recipe with its new twist of BBQ flavor. The sweetness of the corn combined with the smoky flavor from the BBQ sauce really complements this dish well! This tasty vegan dish is gluten-free, lower in fat than standard recipes, as well as completely dairy-free for vegans. Consider making this a meal and serve with a side of salad.
Ingredients
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons vegan margarine or cooking oil, divided
White corn or yellow corn (1 cup), cooked according to package instructions
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach, or 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese.
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease an 8"x8" baking dish with 1 tablespoon vegan margarine.
Rinse and drain pinto beans, then place in a medium-sized bowl. Mash beans with a masher or fork until about half are mashed, leaving the other half whole to give texture to the macaroni and cheese. Add 2 tablespoons of vegan margarine and combine. Pour into a baking dish, then spread out evenly over the bottom of the dish. Top with corn, spinach, and remaining ingredients.
Bake for 20 minutes or until macaroni is heated through and corn is heated through.
*I use BBQ sauce to make my Macaroni and Cheese, but Annie's or Sweet Baby Rays would also be great. I try to keep these things separate because they are made with different ingredients and may have different nutritional values. From a food safety standpoint though, they are the same product so you can use either one in this recipe. From what I've read, there is not a whole lot of difference between the two products--they simply differ in their usage of sugar, salt, flavors, and the coloring agent (MSG).
