What’s not to love about mac and cheese? It evokes more memories of childhood than most foods do. It serves as comfort food on days when we’re feeling low, and days when we just want something quick and easy for dinner for both us and the kids. Rather than the store bought kind from a box with the sauce being a sachet of questionable dehydrated powder, mac and cheese has in recent years been star dishes in some of the country’s most exciting restaurants. 

By using different combinations of high-quality cheeses and spices, mac and cheese has become synonymous not only with American comfort food, but also with the exciting directions American chefs are taking food in, pushing the boundaries of what it means to innovate old, traditional recipes, but still hanging onto the dishes that are, with reason, so loved.  

Our recipe for a vegan mac and cheese is not just for vegans, but also those with dairy intolerances. Like every vegan mac and cheese recipe, it requires a bit of nutritional yeast to get that cheese flavor, but we combine it with Dukkan Tahini, a tahini that has no bitter after taste, to add flavor and heft to a dish. We season it with paprika and chili pepper, and serve it as a side or make it the star dish for dinner. You can hide bits of broccoli in it if you’re feeding children and want to get some greens in there without them noticing, or zucchini which has an even milder taste that can add a bit of sweetness to the dish but not introduce a strong taste.