Well, it officially feels like summer. Which means I’m all set to hide out in my house with the air conditioner cranked until September rolls around. And that puts me in the mood for comfort food! This is one comfort food dish that I’ve been meaning to work on for a while. A combination of chili and mac & cheese. Does it get much better? I think not!
I took some inspiration from a few earlier recipes of mine to come up with this. Like my vegan goulash, this one is loaded with tomatoes and pasta and legumes in one sloppy delicious pot of food. And like my coconut mac & cheese, the sauce comes together super easy (no cashews needed) by seasoning and thickening some coconut milk. Let’s talk about how it’s done!
How to Make Vegan Chili Mac
Start by sweating some onion and bell peppers in oil. Let them cook until they begin to soften up, then add some garlic, followed by flour. Cook the flour for a minute or two, then stir in your coconut milk, beans, tomatoes and spices. Nutritional yeast and hot sauce give your sauce a cheesy flavor. Add them now, along with your spices. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. It should be thick and creamy by the time it’s done. (I was wishing for some tortilla chips — this stuff would’ve been awesome for dipping!) Stir in some cooked elbow macaroni. Season with salt, adjust any other seasonings to your liking, and dig in!
Feel free to switch things up by substituting different varieties of beans! Chickpeas, lentils, cannellini beans, and black-eyed peas would all be great. Can this recipe be made gluten-free? I’m not sure! You can easily use your favorite gluten-free pasta, but replacing the flour will be a bit trickier. You can experiment with an all-purpose gluten free flour as a direct substitution, or try adding a bit of arrowroot or a mixture of cold water and cornstarch to the sauce when it’s already simmering. I haven’t tried any of these, so no guarantees! How spicy is this recipe? Mildly spicy, as long as you use a relatively mild vinegar-based hot sauce, such as Cholula. Can I omit the hot sauce? I don’t recommend leaving it out, because the hot sauce actually does make the dish taste cheesy. If you absolutely insist on leaving it out, I recommend adding a tablespoon or so of vinegar to balance out the flavors. Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days. If the sauce dries up too much, add a few splashes of non-dairy milk when you reheat it.
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