RECIPE:
Vegan Nachos Mac Pie
August 17, 2020
Where’s the protein at? All your favourite comfort food rolled into one and baked to perfection. The protein comes in a double dose of chickpea pasta and tofu, the creamiest all-plant cheese sauce, and some serious crunch from the cauliflower and crushed nacho crust. Indulgent meal prep and great for a big family get-together. Super, duper, Wicked high protein – check!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 6 hearty portions 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cup (x2 227g package) dry chickpea pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
- ½ head cauliflower, chopped
- 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, chopped with skin on
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 packages tofu, extra firm
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- Oil
- 2 green onion, sliced
- 2 fresh jalapeno, whole
- 2 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen sweetcorn
- 4–5 cup baby spinach
Crust:
- 1 13oz/400g can chickpeas, drained (save water for sauce)
- 3 cup tortilla chips
- 4 tsp tomato salsa
- 1 7oz/200g package of vegan cheese (we used Follow Your Heart)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch salt and pepper
- 4–5 TBSP nutritional yeast
- Plant-based milk
- Parsley or coriander, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420f/215c.
Pasta:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set to the side.
Sauce:
- In a large saucepan add chopped cauliflower, sweet potatoes, bay leaf, and garlic and cover with water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to simmer and cook until tender. Drain and save liquid.
- Transfer drained veggies to a high-speed blender, along with the jalapeno (optional).
- Add salsa and vegan cheese. Add spices (cumin, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper), nutritional yeast, and chickpea water. Blend for at least 2 minutes until smooth. Add plant-based milk to thin for cheesy consistency.
Tofu:
- Heat med size cast iron or saute pan until hot. Coat each tofu side liberally with black pepper, cumin, and garlic salt.
- Use hands to massage the seasoning in.
- Add oil to the pan to coat evenly. Add tofu and sear, add jalapeno to cook alongside tofu. Flip tofu and repeat until golden.
Crust:
- Drain the can of chickpeas, reserving the water to the side. Add chickpeas to a bowl and mash chickpeas with a potato masher. Add black pepper, green onions, and crushed tortilla chips. Mix with hands to form the crumb crust.
- In a deep tray bake dish, add crust pack down crust evenly to cover the bottom of the pan. Put the tray in a pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Mix pasta, 1/2 of the peas, sweetcorn and a ¼ of the sauce (about a cup) to a large bowl and stir to combine. Add green onion and any extra veggies from the sauce mix. Add more sauce, until the mix is well coated evenly. Add cheesy-veg pasta mix to a traybake, top with sliced tofu, and a drizzle of extra sauce before baking.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5- 10 mins and serve.
- For optimal results, leave it to chill overnight before serving.
- Serve up and enjoy!
Notes
Want more inspiration? Check out the Wicked Healthy YouTube Channel!
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Keywords: vegan nachos