By Little Northern Bakehouse

Gluten-free High-Protein Mac and Cheese
with Garlic Toast and Two Allergy-friendly Sauces:
Dairy-free Silken Tofu or Soy-free Red Lentil

This High-Protein Vegan Gluten-free Mac and Cheese might just have the easiest, cheesiest dairy-free sauce you’ve ever tried!

With a silken tofu-based mac and cheese sauce that’s ready before your gluten-free pasta is out of the pot, and a soy-free lentil-based version that welcomes more food allergy friends to the table, this simple recipe is packed with plant-based protein however you make it.

Especially when you pair this speedy blender sauce with gluten-free pasta made from naturally high-protein ingredients like chickpeas or lentils!

Serve this plant-based comfort food with a side salad and a couple slices of easy gluten-free garlic toast for a balanced and satisfying meal made from wholesome ingredients. Or curl up with a big, bright yellow bowl of nostalgia topped with a ketchup smile.

Either way, our High-Protein Gluten-free Mac and Cheese is a fast, family-friendly weeknight meal that will warm your spirits, fill your belly, and make you feel good inside and out!

 

Instructions:
For the Gluten-free Pasta:
  1. Cook high-protein gluten-free pasta in a large pot with salted water according to package directions. Drain, return to pot, and set aside.
For the High-Protein Gluten-free Mac and Cheese with Silken Tofu Sauce:
  1. In a blender or food processor, add silken tofu, melted vegan butter, and all other sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
  2. Pour over hot cooked pasta and fold together until pasta is evenly coated.
For the High-Protein Gluten-free Mac and Cheese with Red Lentil Sauce:
  1. Cook the red lentils: rinse dried red lentils in a mesh strainer until water runs clear. In a medium saucepan, add 1 part dried red lentils to 2 ½ – 3 parts water. Boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft. Use the strainer to drain any remaining water from the cooked lentils.
  2. In a blender or food processor, add cooked lentils, coconut milk, and all other sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
  3. If sauce is thin or watery: add tapioca or cornstarch and blend again briefly. Pour into empty pasta pot and return to stove over medium heat. Stir until sauce begins to thicken (about 2 minutes). Add hot cooked pasta to the sauce and fold together until pasta is evenly coated.
  4. If sauce is thick and creamy: Pour over hot cooked pasta and fold together until pasta is well sauced.
For the Easy Gluten-free Garlic Toast:
  1. Lightly toast 1 or 2 slices of White Wide Slice or your favourite Little Northern Bakehouse gluten-free bread per person.
  2. While your bread toasts, mix garlic powder and dried parsley into softened plant-based butter in a small bowl (use about 1 tablespoon butter + ½ teaspoon garlic butter per two slices). Spread on warm toast and serve. Or make it extra crispy and golden with a couple more minutes in a toaster oven or under the broiler.

Serves 2 – 4

Tips:
  • Not keen on hot sauce? Although there’s not enough to make either version of this high-protein vegan gluten-free mac and cheese spicy, swap it out for 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
  • Double or triple this fast and easy sauce with impunity. But if you’re cooking more than one box of high-protein gluten-free pasta at once, be sure to use a large pot and scale up the water, too.
  • Can’t find silken tofu? It doesn’t always come in the same packaging as other styles of tofu—some brands sell silken tofu in a tube in the refrigerated section, and some sell it in a shelf-stable tetrapak (like juice or non-dairy milk) in a regular aisle. Ask store customer service if you don’t see it with the rest of the tofu! If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, check your local Asian grocer or market. Or use the next softest tofu you can find easily near you (soft tofu or unsweetened and unflavoured dessert tofu are suitable swaps).

 

Love this fast and easy High-Protein Vegan Gluten-free Mac and Cheese recipe? Check out our other plant-based gluten-free mac and cheese faves:

 

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With inspiration from vegan mac and cheese recipes by: