Dairy-Free Queso Mac N Cheese Bake

Original Recipe by The Kitcheneer

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PREP TIME

10 minutes

COOK TIME

40 minutes

SERVES

6-8 people

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz of your favorite pasta (I love Jovial or Banza here for gluten-free options)

• 1 cup of Cashew queso (see below)

• 1 cup of vegetable broth

• ½ cup of oat milk (or your milk of choice)

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

• 1 red onion, sliced thin

• 1 tsp of sea salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ cup of Sam's Fresh Salsa (I used the Cantina flavor here!)

• Cilantro,avocado, and green onion for garnish

CASHEW QUESO:

• 1 cup of cashews

• ½ cup of water

• 2 tbs of Sam's Fresh Salsa Verde

• 1 tsp of taco seasoning

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. In a blender add water, cashews, salsa verde, and taco seasoning. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.

3. Add queso cashew cheese, pasta, pepper, onion, salt, pepper, broth, and milk to a 9X13 baking dish and stir the ingredients until well combined

4. Cover with aluminum foil (IMPORTANT that it's as air tight as possible to cook pasta correctly)

5. Place in oven to bake for 30 minutes

6. After 30 minutes, remove foil and test pasta for doneness. If it is still too tough, cover and bake for another 10 minutes. Once pasta is done, stir in the salsa and top with garnish.