Copycat Panera Bread Mac 'n Cheese
My mac ‘n cheese with crispy air-fried buffalo tofu
Before I went vegan, one of my favorite dishes was Panera’s mac ‘n cheese served in a bread bowl. If you haven’t tried it before, it’s basically pasta tossed in a rich & creamy, white cheddar-y sauce. I haven’t been able to find a satisfying white cheddar mac ‘n cheese recipe since going vegan so I decided to recreate Panera’s recipe but make it cruelty-free!
One of my favorite ways to serve this mac ‘n cheese is with Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend!
Copycat Vegan Panera Bread Mac 'n Cheese
Prep time: 5 MCook time: 15 MTotal time: 20 M
Ingredients:
- 2 cups pasta of choice, cooked
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 tbsp flour (gluten-free works)
- 1 1/2 cups plant milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese (I like Daiya)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional: your favorite toppings (I love buffalo chick’n mac ‘n cheese so I topped mine off with some crispy air-fried buffalo tofu!)
Instructions:
- Heat a saucepan to medium heat. Combine lime juice and plant milk and set aside. This is your vegan buttermilk.
- Melt butter in the saucepan. Add flour and whisk to create a roux.
- After about a minute, start adding your “buttermilk” to the roux. After a couple minutes, the mixture should begin to bubble.
- Turn the heat down and add cheese, spices, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the pasta and serve immediately with toppings of choice.