This Vegan Mac & Tempeh Bacon has to be one of my family’s most requested meals! Creamy cashew cheese and smokey tempeh bacon come together in under an hour and can feed a crowd.
My family is a bunch of noodle fiends, and for whatever reason, Monday evenings seem to be the roughest day for me to find the motivation to cook. Thus began mac and cheese Mondays.
I love starting a big pot of noodles and having my “noodle testers” come and sneak bites from the kitchen while things cook. This Vegan Mac & Tempeh Bacon is defiantly one of their very favorites, and I’m so excited to share it with you all!
Vegan Mac & Tempeh Bacon: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Raw Cashews – Cashews are the cornerstone for this dreamy sauce. I like to purchase raw cashews in bulk at my local co-op. They’re usually less expensive than packaged, and we use them often I always have them on hand. You can soak them for an hour or so, or if you’re pressed for time, just cover them with very hot (not boiling) water for 15 minutes or so.
- Pasta – This recipe can be gluten-free by subbing out traditional pasta for gluten-free. I like to use bigger noodle shapes like penne, farfalle, and rotini.
- Tempeh – Tempeh really benefits from a quick bath in boiling water. It helps to open the structure up a bit, making room for all the delicious bacon flavors we’re going to add to it.
- Nutritional Yeast – Adds a really great cheesy flavor and is a good source of B vitamins!
- Coconut Milk – I usually use the full-fat coconut milk, but I’m sure the light version would work – it will likely just be less creamy.
- Braggs Liquid Aminos – I love Braggs, but soy sauce would work just fine.
- Barbeque Sauce – Any brand will do, just check to make sure it’s vegan. I like Sweet Baby Rays, Wegmans Memphis Barbeque Sauce, and Dinosaur (A Western New York Favorite!)
- Garlic
- Tumeric – Mostly for color!
- Paprika
*Note* I almost always add in some kind of veggies like frozen peas or broccoli florets, and serve with a salad, because … green things right?
How to make Vegan Mac & Tempeh Bacon
First, set the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Make the cashew cheese. Place all the cashew cheese ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside.
Fill a small saucepan about half full of water and place over high heat. Dice the tempeh into 1/4 inch cubes and carefully place in the water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the tempeh and set it aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt to the boiling water, and cook 1 lb of pasta according to package directions. Strain, toss with 1 teaspoon of oil, and set aside
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a nonstick pan (I like to use my cast iron) and set over medium to medium-high heat. Add the steamed tempeh and cook, allowing each side of the tempeh to brown a bit before turning. Try to brown each side of the tempeh cubes. This should take about 10 minutes.
While the tempeh is cooking, mix the tempeh bacon ingredients together in a small bowl. Reduce the heat on the skillet to medium-low and add the tempeh bacon sauce. Allow to simmer and reduce until almost all the sauce is gone and the tempeh is well coated. About 5 minutes
Once all the components are complete, it’s time to assemble. Add the cooked pasta and cashew cheese sauce to a heavy-bottomed pot (like a dutch oven). Mix together well. At this point, I like to throw in an easy veggie like frozen peas or small broccoli florets.
Arrange the tempeh bacon on top of the mac. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake for 10 more minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Vegan Mac & Tempeh Bacon
Ingredients
Cashew Cheeze Sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for 15 minutes in very hot water
- 2 Tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 can coconut milk I used full fat but light would work just fine I think!
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
Tempeh Bacon
- 1 package tempeh
- ½ cup water
- 3 Tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
- 2 Tablespoons barbeque sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Set your oven to 400 degrees.
- Make the cashew cheese. Place all the cashew cheese ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Fill a small saucepan about half full of water and place over high heat. Dice the tempeh into 1/4 inch cubes and carefully place in the water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the tempeh and set it aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt to the boiling water, and cook 1 lb of pasta according to package directions. Strain, toss with 1 teaspoon of oil, and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a nonstick pan (I like to use my cast iron) and set over medium to medium-high heat. Add the steamed tempeh and cook, allowing each side of the tempeh to brown a bit before turning. Try to brown each side of the tempeh cubes. This should take about 10 minutes.
- While the tempeh is cooking, mix the tempeh bacon ingredients together in a small bowl. Reduce the heat on the skillet to medium-low and add the tempeh bacon sauce. Allow to simmer and reduce until almost all the sauce is gone and the tempeh is well coated. About 5 minutes.
- Once all the components are complete, it's time to assemble. Add the cooked pasta and cashew cheese sauce to a heavy-bottomed pot (like a dutch oven). Mix together well. At this point, I like to throw in an easy veggie like frozen peas or small broccoli florets.
- Arrange the tempeh bacon on top of the mac. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake for 10 more minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Thanks so much for reading! If you make this, let me know! Tag me on Instagram @vegans_for_dinner.
<3
Sonia
