This Quick Vegan Cheesy Pasta is so deliciously cheesy and super easy to prepare. It is an ideal mid-week dinner for those busy days when fuss-free, wholesome, one-pot meals are essential. Our dairy-free cheesy Pasta is a quick version of a Mac 'n' cheese or macaroni cheese as all the ingredients are added to the pot, and cooked for just 15 minutes before being ready to dish up. We like to add broccoli but this can be subbed for a different green vegetable or omitted.
You can serve cheesy pasta as a stand-alone-meal or as a side dish as part of a larger plant-based meal such as for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. For a gluten-free cheesy pasta use a gluten-free pasta shape, gluten-free vegetable stock and a gluten-free miso paste.
Jump to:
💛 Why You'll Love This Quick Vegan Cheesy Pasta
- ✅ Ready in under 30 minutes so perfect for those busy days
- 🧀 Creamy and cheesy without the dairy
- 🌱 Naturally nut-free, soy-free (if using oat milk), and easy to make gluten-free
- 🧄 Made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients you probably already have
- 🥦 Easy to bulk up with broccoli, peas, or spinach, and canned beans
- 👶 Family-approved: great for kids and picky eaters
- 🍽️ Perfect on its own or as a side with salad and crusty bread
Origins of cheesy pasta
A recipe for an early cheese and pasta dates back to a 14th Century medieval English cookbook titled The Forme of Cury where pasta was combined with butter and cheese. Although it wasn't until 1769 that the first recorded recipe that best resembled today's macaroni cheese or cheesy pasta, was found in Elizabeth Raffold's book The Experienced English Housekeeper. Raffold's recipe calls for the macaroni pasta to be mixed with a béchamel sauce, sprinkled with cheese, and then baked in the oven until golden. Nowadays cheesy pasta, macaroni cheese, or mac and cheese are popular everyday meals in the UK, Europe, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For more information about the history of macaroni cheese, or to prepare a Macaroni Cheese in the slow cooker, do have a look at our Slow Cooker Macaroni Cheese recipe.
Cheesy pasta is delicious served with your favourite crusty bread and a simple green salad. In the image above, we prepared a red onion and garlic focaccia bread. The dough was prepared in a bread machine before being baked in the oven while the cheesy pasta cooked. If you would like the recipe for the focaccia send us an email and we will reply with the recipe - [email protected].
How To Prepare
Preparing this dairy-free cheesy pasta is really easy as all the ingredients are cooked in one-pot and it can be ready in just half an hour. We like to add broccoli florets to the pot along with everything else as why use another pot? We also like to slice up the broccoli stem [after peeling and removing any tough skin or stalk] as throwing it n the waste bin just doesn't make sense.
The ingredients you will need are - macaroni pasta shapes, onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast flakes, dairy-free cheese [although this can be omitted and extra yeast flakes added to taste], white miso paste, plant-based milk, and vegetable stock. The broccoli can be replaced with edamame beans, broad beans, peas, kales, leeks, spring greens, cabbage, collards, etc. Often we like to add a mixture of green vegetables to prepare a green cheesy pasta. If you would like to use spinach this can be stirred through the cooked cheesy pasta as it doesn't need long to cook.
Step 1: Add the macaroni to a non-stick pot, along with the broccoli florets. The florets can be either fresh or frozen.
Step 2: Pour in the plant-based milk and vegetable stock.
Step 3: Stir through the onion powder and garlic powder.
Step 4: Bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Step 5: Simmer the pasta until cooked. Use the pasta cooking instructions on the packaging as a guide as some pasta types cook quicker or longer cooking. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
Step 6: Once the pasta has cooked switch off the stove-top ring.
Step 7: Add the nutritional yeast flakes, dairy-free cheese, white miso paste and an extra ½ [half] cup of plant-based milk.
Step 8: Give the pasta a good mix and season with enough salt and pepper to taste.
Serving suggestion: Enjoy with a garnish of sliced spring onions [green onions] or chives, either on its own of with sides of green salad and crusty bread.
Recipe Notes
Storing
Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for 2-3 months.
Reheating
Place leftovers in a non-stick pot with extra plant-based milk just enough to loosen up the sauce. Bring to a simmer and reheat for 2-3 minutes until piping hot. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Chilled cheesy pasta can also be enjoyed as a pasta salad. One of our grown-up kids likes leftover cheesy pasta for her pack lunch at work.
Substitutions
There are a few substitutions you can make for this cheesy pasta. Such as the broccoli can be omitted or subbed out for kale, spinach, celery, peas, leeks, cabbage, collard greens, spring greens, asparagus, broad beans, edamame beans, sliced field beans, green beans, etc.
If adding spinach this can be stirred through at the end of cooking as it will wilt in the heat. We often like to add a mixture of green vegetables to our cheesy pasta as it's a great way to get in lots of extra green veg.
Other subs are replacing the dairy-free cheese with a vegan soft cheese or just adding some more nutritional yeast flakes to taste. Also adding a ½-1 teaspoon of mustard powder along with the garlic and onion powders can add a nice cheesy flavour as can ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Other ideas include replacing the garlic and onion powders with fresh onion and fresh garlic but we find that the powdered varieties do add more flavour.
FAQ'S
Yes, with just a few changes you can prepare a gluten-free cheesy pasta. You will need to use a gluten-free macaroni or pasta shape and a gluten-free vegetable stock. Also ensure that your white miso paste is certified as gluten free, although white miso is generally free from gluten ingredients it is always best to check as it could have been prepared with wheat or barley as opposed to the more usual soya or rice.
Yes, similar to a traditional baked macaroni cheese this cheesy pasta can be finished off in the oven. Once cooked add the cheesy pasta into a casserole dish and pour in a little extra plant-based milk just to loosen up the sauce a little. Top with extra dairy-free cheese or nutritional yeast flakes. You can also add some breadcrumbs to the top, and then bake until the top is crispy and golden. A few sliced tomatoes over the top is a tasty addition.
A few ideas for extra ingredients to add to the pasta:
* a cup of frozen or canned sweetcorn
* 1 sliced leek
* ½ teaspoon of turmeric can provide colour to the sauce as well as contributing to the cheesy flavours
* ½-1 teaspoon of mustard powder also adds to the cheesy flavours
* a few scoops of vegan cream cheese or soft cheese, or creme fraiche mixed through the finished cheesy pasta can add extra creaminess
* a tablespoon of vegan margarine or butter mixed through the cooked cheesy pasta can add extra richness
* chopped up vegan Quorn smoky ham or Quorn chicken slices, vegan bacon bits or similar meat-free deli slices can add extra savouriness and provide Carbonara pasta flavours
Nothing else needs served as this meal is filling and satisfying on its own but if you need to get more portions out of this recipe then the cheesy pasta can be served as a side-dish or with accompaniments. Cheesy pasta is a delicious accompaniment to a Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or special family meal.
A few suggestions:
* crispy salad
* roast vegetable traybake
* roast tomatoes
* sautéed mushrooms
* steamed vegetables
* sweet or white potato fries/chips/wedges
* baked potato either white or sweet
* vegetable burgers, vegan sausages, vegan sausage rolls, vegan pot pies
* Vegan 'chicken' pie
* Vegan meatloaf
* Vegan 'meat' and potato pie
* Vegan carrot hotdogs
* vegan coleslaw
* vegan potato salad
* garlic bread, or your favourite crusty bread
A few ideas:
* use as a baked potato filling
* toast or grill a slice of your favourite bread and have a scoop of hot cheesy pasta served over, for a delicious quick lunch
* top a vegan carrot hotdog with leftovers
* add small dollops of cheesy pasta to a pizza before baking
* enjoy a cheesy pasta toastie or grilled cheese sandwich
* mix a can of chopped tomatoes through leftover cheesy pasta and reheat, this is a great way to bulk out smaller amounts into several portions
* also got some leftover vegan chilli? mix it with leftover cheesy pasta and reheat for an instant chilli macaroni dinner
* have leftovers as a side-dish as cheesy pasta is a tasty accompaniment to any dinner but especially so with a veggie burger, veggie hotdog, vegan sausage roll, meat-loaf, or vegan pie, or as a side to these tasty black bean, sweet potato and green lentil sloppy joes
More Easy Pasta Dinner Recipes
Pasta meals are always a firm family favourite especially with our carb-loving family. However, you can change the type of pasta to one that you prefer such as gluten-free, lentil pasta, bean pasta, etc,. If you do use a different pasta then do adjust the cooking times
A few of our family favourites that we like for extra busy days are this Vegan One-Pot American Goulash and this Vegan Sausage Pasta. Our grown-up-but-still-at-home kids particularly enjoy this Vegan Cabbage and Noodles and this Italian Garlic Spaghetti.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Quick Vegan Cheesy Pasta
Equipment
- Large non-stick pot
- mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 400 grams macaroni or elbow pasta [or your preferred shape/or go with gluten-free pasta - but do adjust the cooking times]
- 450 grams broccoli [1 medium head of broccoli, chopped into small florets, peel the stalk and dice, and chop any leaves. Can also replace with frozen broccoli]
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 700 mililitres plant-based milk [use one that copes well with heat, we like to use unsweetened soya or oat milk]
- 1 litre vegetable stock [boiling, use 1 stock cube/2-3 teaspoons stock powder/paste or half water and half ready-made vegetable stock]
Add after pasta cooked:
- 55 grams nutritional yeast flakes
- 55 grams dairy-free cheese [grated, or replace with extra yeast flakes to taste if necessary, we often omit this ingredient when we don't have any in our fridge]
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 125 millilitres plant-based milk
Optional garnish:
- 4 spring onions [green onions] [sliced, or replace with a bunch of sliced chives]
Instructions
- Add the macaroni and broccoli to a non-stick pot.400 grams macaroni or elbow pasta, 450 grams broccoli
- Pour in the vegetable stock and plant-based milk. If you start with hot or boiling vegetable stock it will reduce the time it takes for the pasta to come to the boil.1 litre vegetable stock, 700 mililitres plant-based milk
- Stir through the garlic and onion powders, and give everything a good stir. Bring the pasta to the boil.2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the pasta is just cooked. Check the pasta package for specific cooking times for the type of pasta you are using.
- Stir frequently to ensure the pasta doesn't stick to the pot.
- Once the pasta has cooked, switch off the stove-top ring heat. Add the nutritional yeast flakes, and dairy-free cheese. Mix the white miso paste and the extra plant-based milk together ensuring the paste is fully mixed.55 grams nutritional yeast flakes, 55 grams dairy-free cheese, 1 tablespoon white miso paste, 125 millilitres plant-based milk
- Season with enough salt and pepper to bring all the flavours together.
- If necessary, add extra milk to thin the sauce and heat the pasta up over a low heat, stirring frequently.
Serving suggestion:
- Serve with sliced spring onions or chives scattered over. A crisp salad and some crusty bread are ideal accompaniments.4 spring onions [green onions]
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary. For less sodium choose a lower salt vegan stock.
- The grated vegan cheese is optional and can be omitted. Instead you can add extra nutritional yeast flakes to taste (if necessary) and perhaps add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder or ½-1 teaspoon of mustard powder [such as Coleman's] at the beginning of cooking for extra cheesy flavours] We often omit the vegan cheese especially if we don't have it in our fridge or it costs too much at the supermarket.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, for up to 3 days, covered.
- Reheat leftovers by adding to a pot with some extra milk to thin the thick sauce. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and stir frequently until piping hot. Or reheat within a microwave.
- Leftovers are tasty served with a baked potato and side salad. Or served over toasted bread for next day's lunch.
- For a gluten-free cheesy pasta use a gluten-free pasta shape, gluten-free vegetable stock, and a gluten-free white miso paste.
Nutrition
Comments
Prepared our Quick Vegan Cheesy Pasta recipe? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe by dropping us a comment below. All feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks so much! All the best Jacq x
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for this vegan pasta recipe! Very helpful, loved it! 🙂
Jacq says
Your welcome! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Claudia says
I am very interested in this cheesy pasta since we are all vegan sound delicious going to make it for dinner tonight!
Jacq says
Great! My family love this cheesy pasta and have it most weeks as its so quick and easy!
Saif says
This looks delicious. It is creamy, cheesey and easy to make
Jacq says
Thanks so much! My kids love this meal because its so cheesy and I love it because its easy!!
Kechi says
Oh, that looks very cheesy, and satisfying! I can use some this afternoon!
Jacq says
Happy cooking! The beauty of this recipe is that it is so quick and can be the answer for a nutritious meal when you have little time or energy to think about what to have for dinner! And it is very satisfying!
Danielle says
This looks delicious! I just love that you use miso in this - it adds such a great umami flavor!
Jacq says
Glad you liked the cheesy pasta! Yes the miso is essential for that amazing umami flavour!
Kristina Tipps says
My family loved this recipe. No one knew they were eating vegan cheese.
Jacq says
Awesome! So glad to hear that!