This Meatless Monday Baked Macaroni is the perfect family dinner idea for busy weeknights! This vegetarian and dairy-free dish is super delicious and flavorful!

Meatless & Dairy Free Pasta Dish

I'm a big fan of meatless meals and try to make Meatless Monday happen in addition to making one other egg-based meatless meal in the week (perk of backyard chickens, I always have eggs). You all know my love of macaroni and cheese, so today I'm sharing a veggie-filled baked macaroni that is also dairy-free and perfect for Meatless Monday. I had a blast researching and developing this recipe, and I tried all kinds of things to make a creamy sauce for pasta that didn't actually include cheese. When it's all said and done, you essentially end up with cooked veggies blended up with cashewmilk, seasoned well, and then tossed with cooked pasta. It's quick, it's easy, and your family will have no idea there are vegetables hiding inside. Win!I'm working today with Silk and I'm really excited about it. I've been using Silk almond and coconutmilk for ages in my smoothies and I recently started buying the cashewmilk after seeing blogging friends talk about it (thanks Cassie!). I love all three, but the cashewmilk has a special place in my heart. It's extra creamy and has a nice sweet hint to it. I love it! It's easy to use in baking too; I have replaced traditional milk for cashew milk in things like frosting and cupcakes with great success.

Monday night also happens to be football night in lots of homes! This dish is perfect for Monday Night Football, no meat needed. Silk is encouraging everyone to sideline meat this season and take the #MeatlessMondayNight challenge. They have collected and developed lots of savory and sweet meatless and dairy-free recipes and also have a contest going. You can see the recipes and enter to win a giveaway on their website.

Here's the line up for my baked macaroni:

How to Make Meatless Monday Baked Macaroni

Potato, onion, and carrot are boiled until soft and then drained. You add them to a blender or food processor with Silk Cashewmilk and spices, including nutritional yeast (that's the stuff in the jar), and process until smooth. You end up with a savory creamy sauce that has a gorgeous cheesy color, no dairy, eggs, or cheese needed. This sauce is much lower in calories than normal macaroni and cheese but much higher in things like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Give it a try, I know you'll really enjoy it. I didn't tell my family what the dish was or wasn't, I just served it. Everyone had seconds. I think when you mix a creamy orange sauce with macaroni noodles, cheesy assumptions are there - no need to tell anyone differently if you ask me. The leftovers were perfect the next day for lunch too. This reheats better than traditional baked macaroni and cheese and stays nice and creamy without drying out.

Nutritional yeast is a bit of an odd ingredient. I first heard about it from Ali at Gimme Some Oven when she posted "The Best Butter-Free Popcorn (Nooch Popcorn)" on her blog. The recipe is fabulous! So even if you pick up the nutritional yeast just for this recipe and the popcorn I'm sure you'll use it up. You'll find it in most health food stores and if you need a little more info on it, Wiki's got us covered.

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #blessthismesseat on Instagram. I love to see your kitchen skills in action!