[Note: unfortunately Teese® creamy cheddar is no longer available. To my knowledge, no other brand of vegan cheese has a creamy style. Please comment if you know of an alternative.]
Most of the time I just make macaroni all in one pot by boiling noodles and dumping in a bag of Daiya Cheddar but it’s always lacked that creaminess of the kind mom used to make. So, in my quest for the perfect vegan macaroni and cheese, I decided to try a different brand of vegan cheese and make it as a casserole this time. It turned out so well that it will go in my regular dinner rotation.
They key to this great version of mac ‘n cheese is using Chicago Soydairy’s Teese® Creamy Cheddar cheese and blending in some additional spices and soy milk in a saucepan BEFORE mixing with the noodles in a casserole.
You may also notice from the photo that I didn’t use actual macaroni noodles. I thought I had a few bags of macaroni but had accidentally picked up ziti noodles instead. Anyway, it’s all good since noodles are all just wheat, water and salt with only shape variations. Next time though, I’ll be using macaroni noodles just to get the texture right.
Of course, the REAL test is if DH eats it and goes back for sections. Which he did and did.
SnarkyVegan’s Macaroni and Teese® Cheese Casserole
- 1 16-ounce package of noodles
Sauce:
- 1 tube of Teese® Creamy Cheddar
- 1/2 t. garlic powder
- 1/4 t. nutmeg, fresh if you can
- 1/4 t. cayenne
- 1/2 t. ground mustard
- 1/2 c. soy milk, this can be adjusted if the sauce is too thick
Topping:
- 1 c. breadcrumbs
- 4 T. Earth Balance margarine, melted
- Boil noodles until al dente, drain and set aside in either a big bowl or the casserole dish. But it’s easier to stir in a bowl and then transfer to the casserole unless your casserole is deep.
- In a small saucepan, mix the sauce ingredients and whisk while simmering until very well blended. About 10 minutes. Test flavor and add salt if you wish but mine had sufficient saltiness.
- Pour hot sauce over noodles and stir to coat.
- Transfer noodles and sauce to casserole and spread evenly.
- Mix topping in small bowl then crumble on top of casserole.
- Bake at 350° F for 35 minutes. If you bake too long, the noodles will start to dry out and you don’t want that.
NOTE: Teese® Creamy Cheddar is made for macaroni and cheese. It’s creamy straight from the tube and blends with other ingredients very easily which is key to get to the right consistency and spunky flavor for this dish. Be careful cutting the tube open with a knife because the contents are under some pressure and will spew on your person. Best to open the package inside the saucepan.
BTW, the noodles really are as yellow as they are in the photo once coated with sauce. Chicago Soydairy did a great job getting this to mimic the old Kraft stuff you may have grown up with, but without the guilt.
November 3, 2010 at 3:14 pm
OMGWANTTHATRIGHTNOW
November 3, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Yummy comfort food. I need to decide what to make for dinner tonight! Eeek!
November 3, 2010 at 3:29 pm
This looks really yummy – and I’m totally freaked out by vegan cheese! LOL!
November 3, 2010 at 3:47 pm
That looks very creamy. I could GF it. My husband makes a good mac and cheese with tahini. Maybe we need to have a recipe showdown. ;-)
November 3, 2010 at 5:48 pm
This looks delicious. No if I could only get my hands on some Teese to test it out…
November 3, 2010 at 6:22 pm
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
November 3, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Wow! I tried old Teese mozzarella and did not like it at all, but this instantly convinced me to try again. I’m going to see if I can track down a tube of their new creamy cheddar RIGHT AWAY. Kraft was my favorite. Mmmmm.
November 3, 2010 at 7:07 pm
I usually use a half Daiya/half FYH mix for mac & cheese, but DANG does this look good! I’ll have to give it a try as soon as I can get my hands on some Teese….
November 3, 2010 at 10:07 pm
This is the most awesome looking mac and cheese I have ever seen. I will def be picking up some Teese soon.
November 3, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Guys,
Just an FYI, I’ve found that there are Daiya people and then Teese people. I actually like both but for different reasons. I never could get the FYH stuff to melt so that was never an option for me. But hardcore Daiya folks swear by it and ditto with the Teese folks. I do think you should give Teese another try but don’t try to make the mozzarella do what the creamy cheddar does. Different flavors. The mozza is really more of a buffalo-style mozzarella, wet, smooth. NOT like the dryish stuff shredded in bags in stores.
Bitt,
You should totally post your DH’s mac’n cheese with tahini! That sounds yummy. We should do a smackdown for sure. Even throw Daiya into the mix for fun.
Stephanie,
The creamy cheddar is a lot like the Kraft mix but also a tad like velveeta. I was having flashbacks ;-P
Kelly,
Try mixing your Daiya with the Teese creamy cheddar or using the Daiya for a topping? Worth a shot. I’m curious how you got the FYH to melt, it always gets weird on me.
Good luck everyone!
November 4, 2010 at 7:31 am
So ooey gooey! Oh my!
November 4, 2010 at 11:00 am
The perfect thank you, and share information.
November 4, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Wow! Your beauty of a picture is making me salivate. I’m in! I’m so in!
November 4, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Truth be told, my husband is the maker of the mac & cheese in our house. He makes the cheese sauce with soy milk, margarine and cheese, cooking it all on the stovetop until melted. Upon serving, FYH definitely cools and “chunks up” faster than Daiya, but we’ve never had a problem getting it to melt this way. Melting FYH in the oven – say, on a pizza – is definitely more hit and miss.
November 4, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Yum! That looks so junky and good. You are killing me with all the cheesy goodness!
November 6, 2010 at 12:03 am
This looks so creamy and comforting! I tried Teese once, and it was okay, but not life changing for me. It’s also much more expensive and I have to go about 20 miles out of my way to get it. Daiya is out of my way, too, but it’s so great for quesadillos, it’s worth it occasionally if I need other stuff.
I adore FYH. But only the Monterey Jack style. I’m planning a post on it, but basically, I crumble it over whatever I want it melt on–if you shred it, it seems to just stay in the shredded shape. Then I broil it, usually for about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it. I never have a problem with it melting when I broil it.
November 6, 2010 at 10:47 am
This looks like great comfort food. I see a tot-topped shepherd’s pie in my future! :)
November 6, 2010 at 10:52 am
Sorry…I’m an idiot….I’m used to comments being at the bottom of the post on Blogger. Oops! My previous comment was meant for the White Trash Tater Tot casserole post.
*I iz stoopid*
December 21, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I’m planning to make this for a holiday dinner tomorrow. I want to assemble it in the morning, refrigerate, and then heat up at my mother-in-law’s house tonight. That won’t hurt anything or ruin the creaminess, will it? Thanks!
December 21, 2010 at 11:37 pm
I honestly don’t know, but it makes sense that it should work. The big thing I remember was that the sauce did need cooking in a saucepan first to get really smooth. Maybe don’t add the bread crumbs until you get there? And maybe NOT put the noodles and sauce together in a casserole until you get there lest it spill. I’d put the noodles and sauce in an airtight container while driving since they’re not really ‘set’ well at that point. How long of a drive it is? The noodles will be warm so you don’t want them being warmish in a car for too long before you bake them. Good luck!
December 22, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Thanks, Julia. I will do my best. :)
October 25, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Great recipe, didn’t realize I had mozzarella so it was more of a alfredo sauce, lovely with a little kick from the cayenne.
May 11, 2014 at 10:57 pm
Wow! This is amazing! Very gooey and creamy. I’ve tried dozens of vegan mac recipes, but have been disappointed until now. I bought 3 packs of the chedder Teese when it went on sale, thinking I’d like it since it has good reviews, and the package says it makes great mac-n-cheese, but when I tried it, I actually found it kind of gross. I used the rest of the pack that I opened mixed with salsa to make it edible. With the other 2 unopened packs, I wanted to make a tasty mac, so I researched online, and so glad I found this recipe. It really tastes like the real thing! This is definitely a keeper, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait for Teese to go on sale anymore! Thank you, Julia!
September 23, 2016 at 1:30 pm
How many ounces in a “tube” of Teese Cheese?
October 18, 2016 at 9:10 pm
I don’t know as that company has discontinued their product for retail.
February 20, 2020 at 4:10 pm
You can get the creamy vegan teese at veganessentials.com!!!
April 21, 2022 at 11:11 am
Teese is available on veganessentials.com in really large tubes! I just bought a bunch on sale so I hope it’s good lol. Thanks much for sharing this recipe!
April 21, 2022 at 11:43 am
Actually just tried the Teese cheddar sauce on its own, it’s really good! Salty but on plain pasta &/or w some veg it will be yummy!!