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Spicy Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese with Gochujang. Use sriracha for variation. Vegan Recipe. Gluten-free with gluten-free pasta
There can’t be too many mac and cheese recipes right. This version has some gochujang (Korean condiment that is spicy, fermented and pungent). Gochujang makes an amazing glaze for tofu.
It also makes a great addition to a creamy sharp flavored mac and cheese. Add as much gochujang as you like, or use Asian Chile Sauce or Sriracha instead. Serve this mac with roasted veggies that are glazed in gochujang + soy sauce+ sugar or over some broccoli or with a lentil loaf with a sriracha maple glaze. I like this with a sprinkle of vegan parm and generous black pepper. A toasty breadcrumb topping with a mix of toasted bread crumbs, a clove of garlic minced and herbs of choice, works amazing as well.
More Mac from the blog
- Masala Mac and Cheese – Because Masala!
- Cauliflower Alfredo, Spinach, artichoke Lasagna
- Pumpkin Sage Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce and Crispy Sage
- Instant Mac and cheese mix in a jar – a must
- Nacho Mac and cheese Casserole – So filling.
- Black Pepper Mac and cheese with potato Carrot Cheese Sauce. So good!
Gochujang can be found in asian stores or online. It is a pungent sauce that can be an acquired taste, or can be bothersome on the tongue/taste buds as with any fermented food. Try a smaller amount in combination with an asian chile paste and experiment with more after. If the smell or flavor doesn’t work out for you, the sharp smell and flavor of heddar will mask it. Add vegan cheddar to the sauce and garnish. Gochujang can contain barley water, barley or barley malt which might not be listed as an ingredient. If you are gluten-sensitive, make sure to get certified gluten-free gochujang.
Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz macaroni pasta
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp gochujang or use sambal oelek, asian chile paste, or sriracha
- 4 cloves of roasted garlic
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1 tbsp cornstarch , or arrowroot starch
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp or more salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp prepared mustard or ground
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup or tomato paste
- 1 to 2 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make your pasta according to instruction on the package by boiling in a large saucepan. Add broccoli in the last 3 mins.
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and cook until golden, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, blend all the ingredients from roasted garlic (spices, ketchup etc, through nutritional yeast until smooth. I usually blend 2 to 3 times for 1 minute cycles.
- Add gochujang or asian chile sauce to the cooking onion and mix well. Cook for a minute.
- Add the blended mixture to the skillet and cook to bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and heat. Add more of either if needed. At this point you can add in some vegan cheddar shreds if you like.
- Fold in the cooked pasta and broccoli and thyme and toss well. over and cook for 1 minute. Then switch off the heat. Let it sit for 2-3 mins.
- Sprinkle black pepper generously and/or vegan parm (optional) or vegan cheddar and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So great! Thanks!
thanks!
Whoa! So good. Just the right amount of heat. I cut back on the oil and the salt and it’s still too salty, but that is personal preference, so I will make adjustments for next time.
If you stirred in some agar could you make a sliced cheese out of this sauce?
your mind is on a good track:) yes, activate the agar by boiling with a bit of water and mix in the blended sauce and simmer for a few minutes then pour on parchment and let set.
My boyfriend is half Korean – I made this for him tonight. This is hands down amazing!!! Wouldn’t change a thing.
awesome!
I LOVE this recipe! You are such an awesome chef. I’ve bought your book and tried most of the recipes in t, and each one is a winner.
With this recipe I substituted the gochujang for Thai yellow curry paste and the cashew nuts for Brazils and it was delicious.
Thank you for your wonderfully creative, easy-to-make and delicious recipes!
I commented a while back but I wanted to post again because I keep coming back to this page. This is just a great, easy mac & cheese with a perfect texture. To me, a sign of a really good recipe is that it’s yummy on its own but it can also easily be adapted to a lot of different versions. That’s how this base recipe has become a staple in our house…for example, we love using chipotle in place of gochujang and adding black beans and soyrizo.
thats a great idea to use chipotle with the beans, a southwestern-ish mac!
This is sooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
thanks!
Hey! This looks amazing!! Do i need to soak the cashew (assuming that it’s raw)?
yes raw cashews. You can soak them for 15 mins and use. I generally just blitz them in the blender. 1 min, then let the mixture sit for a few minutes, then blend again for a minute. Repeat once more if needed and the cashews get all creamy.
OMG! I just made this and it’s absolutely AMAZING! Definitely a keeper recipe 🙂 Thank you!!
yay!
Just skimming your wonderful recipes. This sounds so good. I wanted you to know as a person highly sensitive to gluten (and having lived in Korea for nearly a decade) that gojujang is made with barley water = gluten. Maybe in the States it is better marked as an allergen. Apparently gojujang without barley exists somewhere, but 99% of it is made with the barley water here in Korea.
Thanks for the information about gochujang Anne. The boxes i have seen dont say barley anywhere. I think here is a lightened gochujang sauce by a US based brand which probably is a better option to ensure no gluten. I’ll add a note to the recipe.
I made this and was impressed how rich and satisfying it was. Even my omnivore husband liked it, even as leftovers!!
thats awesome!!