September is here and school is just around the corner (yikes!), meaning it’s time to meal plan for those week nights where we hungry students need something delicious, filling, nutritious, and quick for dinner. While I’m hesitant to say farewell to my summer shorts and tank tops, I am beginning to think about all the warming comfort foods we get to enjoy in the fall. Stews, baked casseroles, pasta… Everybody loves mac ‘n cheeze right? If you can boil a pot of water and turn a blender on, you can make this vegan dish for dinner. We’re head over heels in love with this smooth and creamy cheeze sauce and literally put it on everything: nachos, fries, and of course, pasta. It makes everything next-level delicious; even your non-vegan and non-vegetarian friends will want to dip everything into that sauce, including broccoli.

Jazz up our classic vegan mac ‘n cheeze with these 3 fun variations! We can’t pick a favourite so we’ll leave it up to you to decide.

Before we dive into bowls of cheezy goodness and get ourselves into another carb coma, let’s talk about nutritional yeast. Sounds funky doesn’t it? Don’t scrunch your nose up yet, this stuff is a complete protein (To those who ask where vegans get their protein, from their mac ‘n cheeze, holla!) and is a source of many important B-vitamins, even B-12! I won’t go into full detail about what B-vitamins are used for, but in short they generate energy from food, assist in producing new cells, DNA, and hormones, and play a role in a ton of other bodily processes to keep you functioning properly. Most of us have no problem obtaining enough B-vitamins if we consume a varied diet, however B-12 can be tricky for vegetarians and vegans as it is naturally found in animal products. Some nutritional yeast are fortified with B-12, which is much more fun than popping B-12 pills. You’ll probably need to visit a health food store such as Whole Foods to find this stuff. Fortunately, it’s pretty cheap and can usually be found in the bulk section. Okay, enough science-y talk, time for PASTA!

Kale & Onion

Gotta get some greens in whenever we can! Sauteed kale and onion already go so well together, and coating it all with a silky cheeze sauce makes it almost naughty. Almost. Can kale even be naughty? I have no clue.

Strip the leaves off 2 to 3 ribs of kale and wash them with cold water. Thinly slice 1/4 of an onion and saute in a skillet with a drizzle of vegetable oil until translucent and browned. Add the clean kale leaves and saute until wilted. Mix cooked onion and kale into 1 serving of mac ‘n cheeze and top with crispy onions if you’re feeling extra fancy.

Spicy Red Pepper

Recently, I’ve been seeing people douse their mac ‘n cheeze in hot sauce. Sounded intriguing but I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy sour cheeze. Turns out it’s pretty dang delicious, despite the burn, and I’ll be doing this again. We picked a Mexican hot sauce with a vinegar base that contrasts the creamy cheeze sauce; it adds an element of lightness.

Dice up 1/2 red bell pepper and briefly heat it up on a skillet if desired. Toss diced pepper and about 1 tsp of your favourite hot sauce to 1 serving of mac ‘n cheeze. Start with less hot sauce if you’re hesitant with spicy food or if your hot sauce is really spicy.

Baked Broccoli Casserole

How do you feel about the end slices of bread? We feel that they are meant for bread crumbs. This one is a play on broccoli casserole, except it’s actually healthy, dairy free, and totally plant-based. Broccoli is a staple in our fridges and we wouldn’t mind eating it everyday if it was in some baked mac ‘n cheeze.

Saute a handful of broccoli florets, fresh or frozen, in a skillet until bright green and tender. Add it to 1 serving of mac ‘n cheeze and place it into an oven-safe dish. Toast up 1/2 slice of bread (the staler, the better) until dry. Crumble it up and add 1 tsp nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Mix it up with your fingers and add it to the top of your broccoli mac ‘n cheeze and bake it at 350°F for 5 minutes, or until golden brown on top.