CRACK MAC

I've made numerous vegan macaroni and cheese recipes over the past year and a half (NUMEROUS, I mean, you remember how much I use to love cheese, Jenni) . . . this is my new favorite and I had to share it. I like to refer to it as Crack Mac because, well, in my opinion, it's just that good. . . not that I know what crack is like or anything.

This recipe is my own adaptation from Vegan Vittles' Incredible Cashew Cheez Sauce. It's really easy to prepare, delicious (duh), low in fat, and pretty high in nutrition!

-3 cups vegetable broth
-1 cup water
-1 1/2 cups raw cashews
-1/4 plus 1/8 cup (so I guess about 1/3 cup) nutritional yeast
-1 1/2 tsp. salt (this amount was good if you're using 3 tsp. Better than Bullion like I've done. . . otherwise you might need to adjust the amount
-1 Tbs onion powder (which, when mixed with the tomato, reminds me of my childhood slash spaghettios)
-3/4 tsp dry mustard
-1/4 plus 1/8 tsp garlic powder

-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in sauce (preferably no salt added), don't you dare drain this

-1 lb box of your favorite casserole pasta (I'm a big fan of cellentani and campanelle but medium shells or penne are always good choices)
-panko bread crumbs (I don't measure these)
-Earth Balance or your favorite non-dairy buttery spread (you don't need to measure this either)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get a big pot of water boiling on the stove.

Combine the vegetable broth, water, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, mustard, and garlic powder in your blender or food processor. Blend for a few minutes or until completely smooth. Transfer this mixture to a medium saucepan (3 1/2-4 quarts), add the can of tomatoes, and cook on medium heat until thickened and creamy. This might take about fifteen minutes, but keep and eye on it and stir pretty often. You don't want it to boil, but a small simmer is okay. If it starts getting out of control and looks thick you can go ahead and shut it off. Meanwhile, I hope that your water is boiling and you're cooking the pasta (in salted water of course!)

Drain your pasta and transfer it and sauce to a greased casserole pan. Yes, you want to use all of the sauce. It will seem like a lot but trust me you want it all -- it keeps it moist even when you re-heat the leftovers, if you're lucky enough to have any. Remember this IS Crack Mac that we're dealing with. I usually put the pasta in the casserole first, then pile the sauce in, using a spoon to slightly spread it around evenly. You can mix it in a large bowl first though if you want. I just see it as one too many things to clean at the end. . .

Sprinkle as much or as little of the bread crumbs as you wish over the top and then dot with a little Earth Balance here and there. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until your preferred readiness. Enjoy! And share with friends, if you dare. . .