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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Betty Crocker Project : The Impossibly Easy Vegan Macaroni & Cheese Pie


*Read the comment section for updates concerning this recipe*

Not that long ago there was this flood of Mac & Cheese recipes that hit the internet. There was impressive pizzas, ambitious deep fried nuggety things and I seem to remember one that was on a stick. I'm willing to admit that last one might have been a dream I had once. It was marvelous because it seemed like around the world there were all these amateur food scientists working away in kitchen laboratories with boiling posts of pasta and vats of faux cheese*. All striving to recreate the ultimate American classic. Muahahahaa.

Ironically Betty has a bunch of recipes from circa 1970 that did that in a remarkable way. I mean of course she did. What doesn't that lady do? Now you might remember like a year and some change ago we took a stab** at  veganizing Betty's Cheeseburger Pie. It was one of the very first recipes where we really closed our eyes and just fell into Betty's arms like some fraking co-workers on a team building retreat. This recipe is a take on that little gem that is actually pretty amazing. I'm pretty sure that for some of you loyal lurkers, public followers and vegan Betty-heads, this was the kind of recipe you were looking forward to when we decided to take on the challenge of veganizing Betty's Big Red. So I hope you guys give this a recipe a chance. I think next time we make this I might add some Bac-os*** and broccoli florets because this recipe is really good but I think with a little extra is could be super awesomepants. I'm not sure if awesomepants are better than awesomesauce. Sometimes I just type things and make myself laugh.

Are you ready to be awesomepants? (ones you can dance in and make romance in - again sometimes I just type)




The Impossibly Easy Vegan Macaroni & Cheese Pie
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Cup Whole Wheat Macaroni (uncooked)
  • 1/2 Cup Daiya Vegan Cheddar Cheese (shredded - you'll want extra to sprinkle over the top) 
  • 1/4 Cup Sheese - Smoked Cheddar (shredded - you'll want extra to sprinkle over the top)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Hot Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon Enger-G Egg Replacer 
  • 1 3/4 Cup Soy Milk 
  • Dash of Liquid Smoke
  • 1/2 teaspoon Braggs
  • Dash of Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 Cup Bisquick (read your labels - some are vegan - so aren't)

Heat oven to 400.

Brush your favorite glass pie baking dish with an even coating of Olive Oil. Then pour your uncooked Macaroni into the dish and smooth out into an even layer. Sprinkle the Daiya and Sheese over the top.

In a large mixing bowl, blend the remaining ingredients with a handheld mixer until smooth. Once blended, pour it over the Vegan Cheese and uncooked Macaroni. Use a fork or butter knife to gently stir your pie a little to make sure the Bisquick gets through your layer of cheese and surrounds your Macaroni. You can look through the glass dish to see if that has happened. Use a spatula to smooth the batter out on top. Sprinkle a little Daiya and Sheese over the top and put in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and you can stick a bamboo skewer into the center of the pie and remove it cleanly. You'll notice the edges will brown much quicker than the center. Once the edges begin to brown, start checking your pie with a skewer.

Some pie baking dishes are deeper than others. So that's something to consider when you're baking. Deeper the dish - longer it might take.



* That might have been another dream I had once.

** What a strange and violent saying.

*** In case you're a new vegan - YEP - vegan.

15 comments:

  1. Hi Annie!

    I'm drooling just looking at the pic and in awe at how EASY and healthy this is!! I have GOT to try this!!!

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  2. I'm gonna make this as soon as I return from VCC. I wonder what I could use in place of the Sheese...maybe extra Daiya and liquid smoke (We can't buy Sheese here, and when I get home, I'll be too broke to order any online).

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  3. I used the Sheese because it is a drier vegan cheese and it adds flavor without oil. I think you could probably just add more Daiya or more Nutritional Yeast and it would still be great. Let me know what you think if you make it! I'd love to know. :)

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  4. I made this as written but after 40 minutes the macaroni is still hard as a rock. Is something missing from the recipe? Like maybe some water added before the bisquick/nutritional yeast mixture?

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  5. Oh man. No the Bisquick is suppose to go through the vegan cheese and surround the pasta and then cook it. That's why there is so much soy milk. Did the Bisquick go through the vegan cheese layer or was the Bisquick really thick?

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  6. It depends on what kind of Bisquick you use. the Gluten Free Bisquick is really thick compared to the regular one.

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  7. Thanks Ben! That's good to know.

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  8. No, for me it didn't go through. What I did to salvage it was take it from the oven... lift up a few places on the side with a spatula and pour water down into it. Then I baked it another 15 minutes. The top(which was delicious!) didn't burn and it turned out pretty good overall but I want to make it again so I'm not sure what I should do next time. The water did make a creamy layer on bottom and it wasn't mushy but silly me didn't measure how much I put in :-/

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  9. So we tested this recipe with a different Bisquick and Ben is right the batter is thicker. So we made a slight change in the recipe to make sure it should work now with some of the thicker Bisquicks. The important thing is to make sure the macaroni is surrounded by the liquid Bisquick. That's where it will get the moisture from to get soft.

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  10. Why not just cook the macaroni before putting it in?

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  11. I think that would work if you removed some of the liquid from the recipe. See the macaroni is suppose to pull the liquids from the Bisquick, making it so the Bisquick bakes/solidifies as the macaroni gets soft. I worry the bottom of the pie would burn before the Bisquick baked completely if you didn't modify the amount of liquid originally added.

    I could be wrong though. If you try it and it works - please let me know!

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  12. I made this recipe a few weeks ago - it was so easy, came out perfect, and was delicious! I served it with a nice salad which was great... the leftovers were so tasty my husband and I quickly adapted to taking a slice right from the fridge and devouring it right there in the kitchen sans plate/utensils/napkin... like a couple of vegan cave-people. I plan on making it again on Sunday for our post-Passover pig-out. Thank you so much for this recipe!

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  13. Have you tried the vegg? If so, have you used it in any recipes yet?

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  14. We've actually haven't tried it yet. I haven't been able to find it in my area and wasn't lucky enough to get sent a sample. But we'd be into making a few things - if we could find it!

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  15. Hi,

    This looks awesome...and the consistency is a lot more along the line of Caribbean/Soul Food style Mac & Cheese so I'm VERY excited to try...do you think I can substitute a flax egg for the ener-g or is that an absolute necessity?

    Thanks & Love your blog! I'm making Chick'n and Waffles for Sunday Brunch :)

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