This roasted red pepper cheddar can be prepared in two ways: as a firm shreddable cheese or as a melty sauce. Either way, it creates a rich, cheese-like base to drench pasta in, and makes an addictive mac and cheese. This recipe is similar to this deep-fried version I made a few months ago, except I threw in a roasted red pepper for flavor and color, and then baked it. The end result was a crispy-topped mac and cheese, with a rich and gooey center, making it a perfect comfort food dish for fall.
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ROASTED RED PEPPER MAC AND CHEESE
- Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- one can of full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp coconut vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp agar powder
- a few dash of ground white pepper
- 1 TB tapioca flour, blended with 1 TB cold water
- 2 TB nutritional yeast
- 5 oz. prepared roasted red pepper
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup almond or rice milk
- panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
To make shreddable cheddar
- Combine the coconut milk, vinegar, salt, agar powder and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk briskly until it comes to a small boil, and continue to whisk for a minute or two more. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the tapioca/water mixture and nutritional yeast. Throw in the roasted red pepper and combine it by either using an immersion blender or quickly transferring to a blender to puree. Pour the contents into a glass pyrex, cover, then allow to set in the refrigerator overnight.
When you are ready to make the macaroni
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil, add in the dry macaroni and cook per the package instructions. Reduce the heat to low, then drain the pasta well and return it to the pot. Then, using a cheese grater, grate as much of the cheese as you want over the top. Stir well to combine. Add a little almond or rice milk to moisten. Bake for 15 minutes in a heat-resistant vessel. Add some panko breadcrumbs to the top and bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until the panko is slightly golden brown. Serve immediately.
To make melty cheddar
- Follow the instructions in the first paragraph above, but reduce the agar amount from 2 tsp to 1/2 tsp and omit the addition of almond or rice milk. Pour the cheddar on top of cooked macaroni and bake at 400 per the instructions in the second paragraph above.
Kari says
I’ve made the shredded version and the quick version and I have to say that both are fantastic and easy. I find that adding a little more of the coconut vinegar, salt, and a little white miso helps give it that cheddar kick. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Kari says
I tried this tonight and it was a hit for both me and my dairy-eating husband. He claims it could pass at any potluck. I made a few adjustments to the sauce- I added turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, white miso, and lemon juice (all in small amounts but helped it round out the flavors). I also doubled the vinegar and nooch as, initially, it still had that lingering coconut taste. Originally, I set it in the fridge for about 4 hours and it set well and shredded great! When it came time to make the mac and cheese, I ended up re-melting the cheese separately with some Earth Balance to make it a sauce again, tossed it with the noodles, shredded about 2 tablespoons of the cheese on top, and popped it in the oven! It was the easiest and best-tasting vegan mac and cheese I have made (and I’ve trialed a LOT of recipes). Thanks so much!!!
Esen says
Hi there!
Just discovered your blog thanks to VegNews and gotta say, all the photos are insanely STUNNING! and all the recipes I've looked at thus far look incredible.
It's such a joy to discover a new vegan food blog!
Nice to 'meet' you:)
Esen
cookbooksandcake.blogspot.com
erinwyso says
Hi Esen, thank you and yes, I am incredibly lucky to have such an awesome photographer-husband! Nice to "meet" you too! : )
erinwyso says
Thanks Gloeckchenxvx — I hope you enjoy it! One can of coconut milk equals 403 ml.
Gloeckchenxvx says
Hey, this sounds soooo good!
How many ml is One can of full-fat coconut milk?
Jaime says
Will this taste okay without the nooch, or have you tried it? My daughter has eczema and something in pasta has been making her itchy, either the wheat or yeast. So I am trying to avoid both but she loves cheese (can't have milk).
erinwyso says
Jaime,
This will taste just fine without the nooch, as there are plenty of other cheesy flavors already in there. I hope that this turns out to be a good alternative for your daughter!
Jeff says
FYI, you forgot to list the nutritional yeast in the directions. I assumed that it went with the cheese mix that sits overnight. Also, I added some miso to give it a little more depth and it was very good.
erinwyso says
Thanks for trying the recipe out, Jeff! I reread the directions and realized I referred to that ingredient as "nooch" not nutritional yeast, so I adjusted the directions accordingly. I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
vedgedout.com says
Wow, this looks fantastic! I just found your blog through another vegan blogger that linked both of our cheese recipes in her post. I've been experimenting a lot with vegan cheeses and can't figure out how 2 t. is enough agar to firm your batch up. I've had to use 2 T. for firmness in a similar sized batch, can I ask you what brand of agar you are using. Maybe yours is super powered and mine is lame….Sometimes I use pectin instead of agar in cheez, I think it melts better.
http://vedgedout.com/2012/10/22/smoked-coconut-gouda/
http://vedgedout.com/2012/10/23/updated-pepper-jack-cashew-cheez/
erinwyso says
Thanks! Oh my, 2 TB of the agar powder I use would turn my recipe into a brick! I use telephone brand agar powder (I buy little packs of it for a dollar a piece in Chinatown.)
I've never used pectin before, but perhaps I'll give it a shot in my next batch! thx!
vedgedout.com says
I buy "Now" brand. Hmmm, maybe I'm just doing something wrong or maybe I need to see if I can find the "telephone" brand one somewhere on the internet.
erinwyso says
It's available on amazon, although its a little pricey: http://www.amazon.com/Telephone-Brand-Agar–Agar-Powder/dp/B007PQTVSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352405900&sr=8-1&keywords=telephone+agar
vedgedout.com says
Doing some research this morning! I found that agar can vary in strength depending on how it's sourced and the production method. Interesting. I found an online Asian supermarket that sells the Telephone brand. I'm totally ordering it, it would be great to use a product that costs less and that I can also use less of 🙂
Changster says
I tried making the cheese, but it didn't get hard enough to grate even after being in the fridge for 12 hours. Any ideas about what I did wrong?
erinwyso says
Hmmmm … the only think I can think of is: did you allow the mixture to come to a boil after adding in the agar? Agar needss to be brought to a boil in order to activate it. However, non-solid cheese will still work okay in a mac and cheese or grilled cheese sandwich!
Changster says
Maybe I didn't let it boil long enough. I still made mac and cheese with it though. It was AMAZING!! Thanks!
adriennefriend says
Thank you for sharing this recipe!! I'll let you know if I try it!! I also appreciate your tip in the comments about how coconut + vinegar magically erases the coconut flavor in place of cheezy flavor. Brilliant.
vegan.in.brighton says
Oh my god, this looks insane! I wish I was feeling a little less lazy right now!
SarahHB says
Can you taste the coconut from the coconut milk? I'm fine with coconut in my dessert but I'm curious how it works in something more savory like mac n cheese? It looks amazing!
erinwyso says
Not really. When you combine it with the vinegar, it transforms the coconut taste into a cheesy taste.
SarahHB says
Interesting, thanks!
Johanna GGG says
that cheddar looks amazing – I love the orange colour – looks very like red leicester cheese
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack! says
Ohmuhgawsh, ohmuhgawsh, oh muh gawsh! That cheese looks insane! (in a great way, obviously) And your mac and cheese? Holy crud. It's beautiful. Great job, Erin!
erinwyso says
Thanks Jackie! : )
Babette says
I really want to try that cheese… it looks incredible.
Is coconut vinegar essential or could I use apple cider vinegar?
erinwyso says
Thanks Babette! I've heard mixed reviews on using ACV for this cheese. Some have said it is perfect, others have said it affected the texture and the taste wasn't good. I've personally never used ACV in making this cheese. If you can find coconut vinegar, I would recommend using it!
Babette says
Oh my God, this is absolutely delicious. A definite keeper.
I made it last night with a few changes… I only had about a fifth of a coconut milk can, so I used that and added soy creamer to have the same quantity… I know coconut milk sort of hardens in the fridge, so I put slightly more agar and tapioca. I used apple cider vinegar too and added a tiny bit of white miso. It is a little fragile, but I still managed to grate it. I had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today and it was perfect… it was more liquid than cheesy, but amazing nonetheless. I'd like to experiment with more tapioca.
erinwyso says
Babette, thanks for trying it out and for your feedback — so glad you liked it! I love this method for making cheese because you can play around with the ratios like this and get something slightly different each time. I hope you enjoy lots of cheesy goodness!
Babette says
I just melted some over caulipots and it's so good!
The only issue I have is that's it's too addictive.
erinwyso says
Ha! I love it! So excited that this was a hit. : )
Maggie Muggins says
I knew there was a reason I bought coconut vinegar! My god do I ever love mac n cheese, this looks incredible. I really need to start experimenting with vegan cheeses.
sweet road says
I can't believe this isn't cheese! That's so cool! And with the combination of coconut milk and red pepper I'm sure it tastes delicious.
Esther at A,B,C,Vegan says
Homemade cheddar, interesting. Definitely going to have to try!
Erin | Better Than Doing Laundry says
I'm so intrigued by this! I can't believe there's no dairy in it. I have everything on hand but the agar and tapicoa powders. Looks like they're going on my shopping list!
Emily says
I love blending roasted red pepper into anything–such a surefire way to add color and flavor. And I'm so impressed by your homemade cheeses! I've had my eye on that coconut milk cheese for ages.
VeggieAmanda says
WOW! Your cheese looks amazing! Where would one get coconut vinegar? I don't think I've ever heard of that.
erinwyso says
Thanks! I found coconut vinegar at Whole Foods, around where they keep the balsamic vinegar/oils.
VeggieAmanda says
Thanks! I go to WF all the time, so I'll have to look for it! 🙂
Amey says
I simply MUST get my hands on some coconut vinegar and get to work trying out some of your awesome creations. They are just so amazing. I love the idea of a vegan cheeze that is not 100% nooch. And the little grated bits look perfect!
Fanny says
Wow,impressive!
christine says
This looks soooooooo good, I really, really must try it:) I haven't seen coconut vinegar around, but it must be possible to get it somewhere – when I was a girl macaroni cheese was a favourite meal – real, wheat macaroni, and real, dairy cheese, because I didn't know any different!
Caitlin says
your homemade cheeses are amazing! i definitely have to make them. and the mac and cheese looks fantastic! and soooo creamy.