Roasted Tomato Mac & Cheese with Garlic White Sauce

To be honest, I do occasionally make macaroni and cheese for my husband but I purposefully never put it on my blog because it is too good to share. I slaved and slaved, batch after batch to get a perfect vegan cheese sauce and when I finally got it, I wasn't about to tell anyone. These days I am a little more lax with my recipe sharing (if I wasn't then having a food blog would be pointless) and I am happy to share with you a different cheese sauce recipe I whipped up for tonight's meal.

Ooey gooey mozzarella cheese sauce tossed over seashell pasta with roasted tomatoes and broccoli.

Mac & Cheese with Garlic White Sauce
serves 4
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbl vegan butter
2 tbl all-purpose flour
1 cup plain almond milk
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese
1 heaping tbl nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz macaroni noodles

In a small pot, add the oil and saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes until lightly toasted. Add the butter and melt. Add the flour and whisk for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor. Stream in the milk and broth and whisk into a smooth sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Before the sauce starts to boil, add the cheese, nutritional yeast, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and whisk while it starts to thicken. Once the cheese has melted, taste and season for more salt and pepper.
Boil the pasta according the package instructions and toss with the cheese sauce and roasted vegetables.

Roasted Tomatoes
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 head of broccoli, small florets
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 tbl dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.
Toss the tomatoes and broccoli florets with oil, herbs, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes until the tomatoes burst and the broccoli is slightly caramelized on the edges.