This recipe uses Vegan yeast flakes which are enriched with Vitamin B12. It gives the dish a cheesy, nutty taste which replaces the traditional cheese used in the recipe.

You need to add flavour and protein to this dish as vegan style cheeses can be made from coconut oil and starch and are low in protein. The Nutrition Program has a selection of vegan cheeses and milks.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped 50g
100g of macaroni or similar pasta

Vegan white sauce
50g vegan spread
40g plain flour
400ml plant based milk – soya, oat, almond
Salt, pepper,
1 tbs vegan yeast flakes 7g
50g grated vegan type cheese
Vegetables for mixing
Frozen peas and sweetcorn 50g of each
Leek finely chopped 100gBreadcrumbs 10g – make by baking a slice of bread and crumbling into breadcrumbs
1 tsp vegan yeast flakes 1g
1 medium tomato 100g

Method

1. Put the chopped onion into a saucepan with the plant based milk and warm through to add flavour.
2. Cook the macaroni or pasta according to the packet instructions in a large pan of salted boiling water.
3. Remove the onion from the milk and pour the hot milk into a measuring jug. 
4. Use the milk saucepan to make the sauce by melting the vegan spread, stirring in the flour then heating while stirring for 1-2 minutes until it forms a paste.
5. Gently add in the milk and stir over the heat until it forms a smooth sauce.
6. Stir in the vegan cheese, yeast flakes and salt and pepper and taste. Add more seasoning if needed. And keep the sauce in the saucepan.
7. Strain the pasta and put in an oven proof dish.
8. Keep the hot pasta water and pour back into the saucepan.
9. Tip in the frozen peas, sweetcorn and raw leeks and boil 2-3 minutes then strain and add the vegetables to the pasta.
10. Stir the pasta and vegetables into the sauce in the pan and toss gently to cover. Spoon back into the serving dish.
11. Mix the breadcrumbs with the vegan yeast flakes and sprinkle over the pasta dish.
12. Top with the tomato slices.
13. Grill lightly to make the breadcrumbs golden brown.
14. If eating later, cool and reheat when needed in an oven at 200C for 20 minutes.