This vegan Chili Mac ‘n’ Cheese is hearty, easy-to-make, and VERY delicious! Make it for a weeknight dinner, and you won’t be disappointed.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a pretty cool showcase/luau put on by Follow Your Heart, to show off their new cheese shreds. To be honest, I had already tried them at Expo West, in March, and was totally enamored. So, it only took a little convincing to get me to make that 54-mile one way trip.
The day of was a warm one, a lot like today has been; but in Chatsworth near Canoga Park, it was 102ºF. Talk about hot! When I showed up at their factory, the event was held outside (!!!), but they provided plenty of libations to keep people hydrated and cool. Plus, there were some beers from Angel City Brewery and the Vegan Vine, both of which were very good.
There were tons of bite-sized treats served, ranging from the cutest mini-tacos to grilled cheese bites, to baked mac and cheese. Not to mention, they were relentless with the trays of food. I had to abstain from eating for a bit because I was getting full off of these mini-meals! Don’t get me wrong, that is not a complaint, it’s more of a surprise. Especially since a different event that I went to the week before left me hungry, and I had to go eat afterward. FYH, you’re doing it right!
Since I had brought my friend Jess to the part-ay, we joined the second group from a tour around the facility. This meant seeing their supplies, distribution center and walk-in refrigerators (which were very welcoming to all of us sweaty vegans). It was at the event that I found out about a recipe contest that they’re doing on their site, where you can win some awesome prizes.
Obviously, this chili fiesta Mac n cheese recipe was destiny, because duh, it’s Born to Mac MoFo and delicious cheese shreds need to be used! So, I went to my nearest WholeFoods and got their Fiesta Shreds, which are very much like pepperjack. To be honest, I like them better than the Daiya ones (GASP!), even straight out of the bag they have a better texture.
Now I have this hearty, flavorful mac ‘n’ cheese/chili mash-up dish that will be great for the cooler temps coming around. I added a good amount of veggies into this chili so that it’s not SUPER heavy and because it tastes great, obviously. 😉
One Year Ago: Roasted Veggie Guacamole // Two Years Ago: Strawberry Coconut Oatmeal
Vegan Chili Mac 'n' Cheese
Super creamy, slight spicy mac & cheese topped with hearty veggie chili and some cooling avocado. An outstanding Fall meal!
Ingredients
Veggie Chili
- 1 teaspoon high-temp cooking oil
- 1/2 cup (70 g) diced red onion
- 2/3 cup (90 g) diced yellow bell pepper
- 2/3 cup (85 g) diced zucchini
- 2/3 cup (110 g) diced tomato
- 1 cup (195 g) cooked black beans
- 1 cup (165 g) cooked kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) chili powder
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (27 g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Mac & Cheese
- 2 cups (240 g) dried elbow or shell pasta
- Water for boiling
- 1 1/2 cups (130 g) vegan "Fiesta" or Pepper jack cheese shreds
- 2/3-3/4 cup (157-177 ml) unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup (44 g) vegan margarine
Garnish
- Avocado, cubed (optional but highly recommended!)
Instructions
Veggie Chili
- Warm the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions to the pan and saute until they begin to turn translucent. Add the bell pepper, zucchini and tomato to the pan and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Adjust the heat to low-medium, and stir in the beans, veggie broth, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt, until evenly combined.
- Bring to a simmer and cover with lid. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mac & Cheese
- While the chili is simmering, bring the water for your pasta to a boil and follow the directions on the package for cooking.
- Once the pasta has been drained and rinsed with cool water, put the pasta & pot back on the stove at low-medium heat.
- Add the cheese shreds and non-dairy milk (plus margarine if you'd like) to the noodles and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the cheese shreds have completely melted.
- Left the cover on the macaroni pot, and return your attention to the chili. It should be chunky with a little bit of "soup" liquid, stir it all together and remove it from heat.
Assembly
- Depending on your appetite, this is between 2-4 servings. So, try scooping 1 cup of mac into four separate bowls first, then topping it with chili. Garnish with two tablespoons of avocado per bowl and serve! 🙂
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Since the voting for this contest happens so close to my birthday, it would be SO AWESOME if you could help a lady out and vote for my recipe HERE. 😉 <3 *Edit: contest over
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[…] Apple Pie Cinnamon Cupcakes // 4 years: Baked Mediterranean Mac and Cheese // 5 years: Chili Fiesta Mac & Cheese // 6 years: Smoky Corn Chowder // 7 years: Strawberry Coconut […]
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[…] recipes, Vegan Yack Attack is a must for you! One of my favorite recipes from her blog is her Chili Fiesta Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I served that at my New Year’s Eve party last year, and OH. MY. GOD. Not only is it […]
Mae
Friday 11th of December 2015
I'm making this for New Years Eve! However, I can't find vegan gourmet shreds anywhere, even stores that carry that brand. Do you remember/know what the flavors are in that cheese? Do you think Daiya pepper jack could compare? Thanks!
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Monday 21st of September 2015
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Whitney
Sunday 26th of January 2014
I try recipes from vegan food blogs all the time and never leave comments afterward but this was just too amazing to keep to myself! I have to admit I changed up the recipe quite a bit to accomodate for ingredients I had on hand, but it was still incredible! This is a brilliant creation and one that I will be making more often!