This Avocado Mac with Pepita Bacon makes for a delectably creamy, nut-free vegan mac and cheese, made even better by pepita bacon!
Remember that time that I totally disappeared during the first week of Vegan MoFo? Geez, man! Although, I’m pretty sure that many of you would agree that a trip to PDX is a pretty good reason for absence.
Not to mention, I was photographing the wonderful Kristina’s (of Spabettie) wedding! My only regret of the trip is that Corey and I didn’t make it over to White Owl Social Club so that I could eat that incredible mac and cheese burger. I did, however, have the Chili Mac Attack from Homegrown Smoker. Mmm..
A quick note about the wedding: when was the last time you went to one where the ceremony was filled to the brim with game show references, the couple was extra awesome, and the late-night snacks provided included Voodoo Donuts? Never before? Yeah, it was that amazing.
Back to the Avocado Mac with Pepita Bacon! This was my second time experimenting with avocado cheese sauce, and it was delightful. My one tip is to find a really ripe, buttery avocado for this sauce, or else it will end up sweeter than is optimum and you’ll have to add extra salt to balance it out. Otherwise, this is a great nut-free cheese sauce that pairs amazingly with the pepita bacon. That is, if the pepitas survive the trip from the oven to your bowl without getting eaten up!
One Year Ago: Beer & Brat Mac ‘n’ Cheese // Two Years Ago: Smoky Corn Chowder
Avocado Mac with Pepita Bacon
Avocados make for a delectably creamy, nut-free vegan cheese sauce and pair wonderfully with pepita bacon!
Ingredients
For the pepita bacon
- 1/4 cup raw pepitas
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
For the sauce
- 3/4 cup mashed avocado
- 3/4 cup water
- 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon white miso, chickpea miso if soy-free
- 2 teaspoons coconut vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
For the rest
- 1 1/4 cups dried macaroni noodles, gluten-free if needed
- Water for boiling
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
Instructions
For the pepita bacon
- Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350F. Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and toss together until the seeds are evenly coated.
- Spread the seeds out onto a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 5-7 minutes, stirring the seeds around half way through.The pepita bacon will be done when the seeds are tan/brown. Take out of the oven and cool for 3 minutes before using.
For the sauce
- Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until very smooth. Add non-dairy milk if your blender is struggling with the mixture. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
To Assemble
- Cook noodles according to package instructions, then drain and rinse with cool water. Return the noodles the pot, along with the avocado cheese sauce and stir together.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has reached desired consistency and is hot. Divide the mixture between two bowls, and top each one with the fresh bell pepper, and pepita bacon. Serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Sam
Tuesday 6th of October 2020
Is there a different vinegar I could substitute for the coconut vinegar?
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Tuesday 6th of October 2020
You could use half the amount of Apple Cider Vinegar!
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Corrin Radd
Monday 8th of December 2014
We made this for dinner tonight. It was easy and yummy.
Kristina
Friday 19th of September 2014
we are so SO happy you two could join us... AND be our fabulous photographer!! glad you liked the VooDoo... ;)
this looks amazing. I just made an avocado mac last week, and SHOOT I wish I had known about the pepita goodness.