One Can of Chickpeas Will Change how You Think About Mac and Cheese

     That’s right, you can make this vegan chickpea mac and cheese recipe! There will be no real cheese, dairy, or lactose in this dish! There’s a few versions I like to do so I’m going to teach you both. This recipe has helped me lose weight, it’s protein loaded, and delicious, so let’s get started! But first, if you like this recipe you might like this Tabitha Brown recipe and you might also like this Chickpea curry stew recipe.

Version 1

     Get a pot of water boiling and grab your can of chickpeas! One way I’m upping the protein in this dish is by using chickpea pasta. It’s a little healthier than most normal pasta options as well. I drain my chickpeas, saving the liquid that is in the can. I then add my chickpeas to the blender along with two teaspoons of lemon juice and about half of a small can of coconut milk, or about three ounces. You can use any plant based milk you prefer, it doesn’t have to be coconut. I mix everything a bit, then add in about three tablespoons of the drained chickpea liquid, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of garlic powder. Then I check the consistency, if it is too thick, add more chickpea juice.

     Once I have a consistency I like, I dump the mixture into a strainer to get the chickpea bits out. Our pot of water should be boiling by now so add in your pasta and let it cook. When the pasta is done, strain it, leaving a pinch of the starchy water in there. Now add in your chickpea cheese mixture. Season it the way you like, then it’s ready to enjoy! This dish is so cheesy, creamy, savory and yummy! You would have no idea what it was made out of! 

Version 2

     Our next version will also require a can of chickpeas. Unlike the last recipe though, we need tofu as well. Boil your pasta! Drain your chickpeas, save the juice, and drain your tofu. Add chickpeas, tofu, two tablespoons of chickpea juice, a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of lactic acid, about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, and a pinch of garlic powder all to your blender. Blend everything up, give it a taste, and if you feel it’s lacking something, add a pinch more! Drain your pasta, save a pinch of the starchy water, don’t over drain them. Then simply pour over your chickpea cheese mix! Season however you’d like, then boom! All done!

     Just like the first recipe, this one has loads of protein! Any mac and cheese lover would really enjoy this. I topped mine with some parsley and a few sun dried tomatoes. You can dress your mac and cheese with whatever you like but, the sun dried tomatoes bring a perfect hint of sweetness and a good bite! The mac and cheese itself is amazing! It’s so comforting, creamy and savory. You can use this cheese mixture for many things as well! This only took me about thirty minutes to make this vegan chickpea mac and cheese recipe, you have to try it! Make sure you check out this full video  here and more!