Healthier Mac and Cheese (vegan options)

So we found this great Quinoa pasta at Costco that is non-gmo and organic and the ingredients are: Quinoa. 

Pretty amazing! So we gave it a shot.. and the verdict was... YUM! HIGHLY recommend. 

So instead of making it horribly unhealthy and smothered in cheese, cream and butter. I decided to make a healthier sauce, made from nutritional yeast and almond milk. 

Guys it was divine. 

I do add parmesan cheese to the top, because I love it and it is all about balance. 

Roasted chicken on top is good too. Here is the recipe for the macaroni. 

Enjoy!

Healthier Mac and Cheese

1 head roasted garlic
12 ounces quinoa elbow macaroni (they are gluten free and yummy)
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp potato starch (you can also use potatoes instead)
2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk, plus more as needed
Sea salt and pepper to taste
5 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (if Vegan use Vegan parm substitute)

Bring roughly 10 cups water to a boil in a large pot and salt with pink himalayan sea salt  generously. Once boiling, add pasta and stir to prevent noodles from sticking. Cook according to package instructions . Once fully cooked, drain and set aside.

Sauce time! Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and minced fresh garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown. Immediately add potato starch and whisk - cook for 1 minute.

Slowly add almond milk while whisking, then cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, whisking constantly.
Add roasted garlic. To extract garlic, simply push up from the base and the softened cloves should come right out.

Add cooked, drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Then top with parmesan cheese.

Optional: Heat oven to high broil and position a rack at the top of the oven. Broil pasta on high for 1-2 minutes (optional), or until golden brown (see photo). Watch closely as it can burn quickly.
Serve immediately. I love topping mine with an extra pinch of vegan parmesan cheese - I can never get enough of that stuff.
Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop - add extra almond milk if it's dry.

Optional: Top with roasted chicken.