Name: Potato Cheese Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 350 g Russet potato (About 350 g; poke a few times before microwaving.); 200 g Medium carrots (About 200 g; peeled and cut into chunks.); 2 cups Unsweetened plant milk (More if needed; author recommends Ripple Unsweetened, or use your favorite plant milk.); 0.5 cup Nutritional yeast; 0.5 tsp Garlic powder (Use 1/2–1 tsp.); 0.5 tsp Onion powder (Use 1/2–1 tsp.); 0.5 tsp Smoked paprika (Use 1/2–1 tsp.); 2 tbsp Pickled jalapeño brine (Or use white vinegar.); Salt (To taste; listed together with pepper.); Pepper (To taste; listed together with salt. Fresh black pepper is also suggested as a mac and cheese topping.); 0.25 tsp Citric acid (Optional; for extra tang.); 0.25 tsp Turmeric (Optional; use 1/4–1/2 tsp for color. More than 1/2 tsp may be noticeable.); 2 tbsp Neutral oil (Optional; for richness and a better texture.); 1 tbsp Water (For microwaving the carrots; use 1–2 tbsp.); 8 oz Dried macaroni (Optional mac and cheese variation.); 1 cup Potato cheese sauce (For the mac and cheese variation; about 1 cup sauce per 8 oz dried macaroni.); 1 tbsp Tapioca starch (For the mac and cheese variation; whisk into a slurry with water.); 2 tbsp Water (For the tapioca starch slurry.); Pasta water (Reserve some; add about 1/4 cup at a time as needed to thin the sauce.); Hot sauce (Optional mac and cheese topping; amount to taste.)

Steps

Potato Cheese Sauce

Prepare the potato. Prick it a few times with a knife or fork and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until fork-tender and around 200°F (93 °C) / 93°C (199 °F) internally. The stated timing is for a 1000-watt microwave; adjust as needed. Alternatively, peel the potato and boil it until fork-tender.
Cut the cooked potato in half and let it cool for a few minutes. When it is safe to handle, peel off the skin carefully.
Prepare the carrots. Peel them and cut them into chunks, then place them in a microwave-safe dish with 1–2 tablespoons of water. Cover loosely and microwave for 4–6 minutes, until fork-tender.
Put the cooked potato and carrots, plant milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and pickled jalapeño brine (or white vinegar) into a high-speed blender. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with the optional citric acid, turmeric, and neutral oil if using.
Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference. If the sauce is too thick, blend in more plant milk until it reaches the consistency you like.

Mac n' Cheese

For mac and cheese, cook 8 oz dried macaroni according to its package directions, reserving some pasta water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, warm about 1 cup (250 g) of cheese sauce in a pot over low heat.
In a small bowl, stir 1 tablespoon tapioca starch with 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry.
Add the slurry to the warm sauce and whisk as it heats. The sauce should thicken and become stretchy.
Add the cooked macaroni to the sauce and stir to combine.
If the sauce is too thick, stir in reserved pasta water a splash at a time—about 1/4 cup per addition—until it reaches your desired consistency.
Top with fresh black pepper, hot sauce, or other toppings you like, then serve.

Notes

Makes about 4 cups of sauce. Store refrigerated and use within 1 week. The author has not tested whether it freezes successfully. Citric acid, oil, and turmeric are optional. Optional mac and cheese requires 8 oz dried macaroni and about 1 cup sauce. Yield is listed as 12; the recipe text also states that it makes about 4 cups of sauce.

Nutrition

These are estimates per serving, worked out from the ingredients.

Calories: 140
Protein: 5 g
Carbs: 23 g
Fat: 3 g
Fiber: 2 g

Where the calories come from

Dried macaroni50%
Russet potato16%
Neutral oil14%
Nutritional yeast7%
Medium carrots5%
Everything else8%

sauce
vegan
dairy-free
nut-free
soy-free
gluten-free
blended
microwave

Potato Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

Steps

Potato Cheese Sauce

Mac n' Cheese

Notes

Nutrition

Where the calories come from

Keep this recipe

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