High Protein BBQ Mac & Cheese

Gluten-free Option

• Use a gluten-free pasta option. If you can find a red lentil macaroni, that’s my personal favorite (it also adds a bit more protein)!

Nut-free Option

• Omit the cashews. You can replace this with a second block of silken tofu to keep the consistency about the same. The cashews add a bit of velvety-ness to the sauce, but isn’t necessary. This would also reduce the calories and increase the protein density.

I really love this High Protein BBQ Mac and Cheese for meal prepping! It doesn’t take a ton of time, and it makes 10 servings. You can always add more Say Grace Bits as well if you want to easily increase the protein content per serving. If you haven’t used Say Grace before, it’s essentially a very concentrated, high protein TVP. It has a tougher texture than TVP, which is why I tend to think of it as a soy-version of seitan.

If you’re outside of the US or just don’t have Say Grace, you could swap in my shredded BBQ Seitan instead and just cut it into smaller pieces.

If you’re looking for some other high protein recipes that are good for meal prepping, be sure to check out my Pasta Primavera and Chili recipes!

Ingredients

• Silken Tofu – I use extra firm silken tofu, but any silken tofu will work. If you’re new to tofu, silken tofu is different than normal tofu and blends totally differently so just make sure you’re using silken tofu. You can find it at most grocery stores. There is a refrigerated variety that hangs out with the other tofu options, but they also make a shelf-stable silken tofu. This one is great because you can buy it online and it has a much longer shelf-life.
• Cashews – I use raw and unsalted cashews for this recipe, mostly because they are easier to soften. This may not be as important if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix that can liquify basically anything.
• Soy Milk – this is my preferred plant-based milk because it has a high protein density, but you can definitely swap this with your favorite. I think creamier milks work better for this recipe, so if you’re swapping it, I would go with something like oat milk over almond milk.

• Onion, garlic – these add flavor to the sauce, but it’s also a sneaky way to add veggies to this recipe.

• Nutritional Yeast – if you’re new to plant-based cooking, nutritional yeast is used a lot in recipes to add a cheesy flavor. Another cool thing about nutritional yeast is that it’s very protein dense! You can buy a fortified version of it that is high in B vitamins as well.
• Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt, Turmeric, and Umami Powder – these are the spices I like to use to add more depth of flavor.
• Lactic Acid – this adds a bit of acidity to the mac and cheese sauce. I know lactic acid is a more unique ingredient, but I think it’s an awesome one to have around if you’re making vegan cheeses and vegan cheese sauces like this fresh vegan mozzarella! You can also sub the lactic acid with another ingredient that adds acidity, like white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. If you’re going to sub with one of these, start with a small amount at first and work it up until you like the taste.

• Elbow Macaroni – this is an ingredient you could swap to either make gluten-free, add more protein to the recipe or both! There are a few higher protein pasta options like red lentil, chickpea or lupini pasta.
• Vegan Shredded Cheddar – I used violife because I think it melts well and I enjoy the taste of it, but use your favorite!

• Say Grace Bits – also called Bits of Grace – I believe you can only buy these online for now. You can buy 6 oz bags, but they also sell 5 lb bags and buckets that will save you about 20%. Say Grace is 95% protein, and is basically a very dense and concentrated version of TVP. They also have different sizes and shapes if you’re not into the bits.
  • If you’re outside of the US or want to make this recipe and just don’t have the Say Grace Bits, you could make my Shredded BBQ Seitan recipe instead. Another option would be TVP chunks.
• BBQ Sauce – use your favorite sauce!

Instructions

Pre-Steps

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta per the package instructions.
• Peel and dice the onion.
• Peel and mince the garlic.
• Soften the raw cashews. You can do this by either soaking them overnight in the fridge or by tossing them in boiling water for about 10 minutes. This step is extra important if you don’t have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, because it will help it blend easier and the final sauce texture will be nicer.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F (177 C).

Making the BBQ Say Grace Bits

• Boil the Say Grace Bits in water to re-hydrate. This is a very important step. Unlike a lot of my recipes with TVP where I don’t re-hydrate TVP, it’s kind of a must-do for Say Grace products. For re-hydrating, I just (gently) throw them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
• Once you’ve boiled it for at least 10 minutes, pull off the heat and drain the water. I like to use a strainer.
• Run cold water over the Say Grace bits until they are cooled off enough that you can touch and squeeze them without crying. This is another reason I prefer to use a strainer.

• Once the Bits are cooled off, squeeze out the water. I literally just grab a handful at a time and squeeze out as much water as I easily can.
• In a medium-heat pan, cook the (squeezed/drained) Say Grace Bits and cook for about 15 minutes. This step is optional if you don’t mind the texture as is, but I really prefer the texture after the exterior is browned. This step is fairly low effort; just toss them around every 3-5 minutes to keep from burning. You don’t want to completely dry out the bits in this step; this is just to add browning and texture to the outside, because I think it tastes and eats better.

• Once you’ve browned the bits, add the bbq sauce and cook for another 5 minutes or so. This gives you those crispy/carmelized bits. Now you’re pretty much done and toss them on top of the mac and cheese when it’s done!

The Rest of the Stuff

• In a non-stick pan on medium-low heat, saute the diced onion for about 5-7 minutes until they become translucent. Stir regularly to avoid burning and sticking.
• Add in the minced garlic and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or so. Make sure to stir regularly here as well.
• Once the onion and garlic are cooked and the cashews are softened, add them to the blender.
• Add the other ingredients listed under the mac and cheese sauce to the blender as well. This includes soy milk, nutritional yeast, silken tofu, lactic acid, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, salt and umami powder. Blend until well mixed and creamy.

• Drain the cooked pasta.
• Add the sauce to the cooked (and drained) pasta and stir together until well-covered.
• Add your saucy pasta to the casserole dish. I usually spray my dish with a small amount of oil to prevent any sticking.

• Top with shredded vegan cheddar.

• Add a lid (that won’t melt in your oven) or aluminum foil. This is pretty important because it locks the humidity in which is basically the only way our weird (but delicious) vegan cheese will melt.
• Cook for 20 – 25 minutes until the cheese has melted!

• Top with your BBQ Say Grace Bits!

Silly Little Haiku

BBQ Say Grace

Like TVP but firmer

Vegan Mac and Cheese