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Vegan macaro-no-cheese with crispy kale
Serves: 3-4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Taken from Keep It Vegan by Áine Carlin. Published by Kyle Books, priced at £14.99.Photography by Ali Allen
Vegan macaro-no-cheese with crispy kale
Recipe by Áine Carlin
Serves: 3-4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
426Kcal
Fat
14gr
Saturates
9gr
Carbs
65gr
Sugars
13gr
Fibre
9gr
Protein
12gr
Salt
2gr
Áine Carlin
Former film actress Áine is a vegan food and fashion blogger. Her cookbooks Keep It Vegan and The New Vegan offer a plethora of straightforward and delicious recipes for all occasions. She has recently published a new book Cook Share Eat Vegan: Delicious plant-based recipes for Everyone.
See more of Áine Carlin’s recipes
Áine Carlin
Former film actress Áine is a vegan food and fashion blogger. Her cookbooks Keep It Vegan and The New Vegan offer a plethora of straightforward and delicious recipes for all occasions. She has recently published a new book Cook Share Eat Vegan: Delicious plant-based recipes for Everyone.
See more of Áine Carlin’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 x 750-900g butternut squash, halved and deseeded
- 200ml full-fat coconut milk
- 1 scant teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ vegetable stock cube
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 250g macaroni
For the crispy kale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 150g kale, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
- Place the squash, flesh side-down, in a roasting tin and pour in about 100ml water. Bake for 1 hour or until the flesh of the squash is completely soft. Leave the oven at the same temperature to cook the kale later on. Set the squash aside to cool slightly before scooping out the flesh with a spoon and blitzing with the coconut milk to a smooth purée in a blender or food processor.
- Pour the purée into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer before adding the mustard, crumbled stock cube and cider vinegar. Season and add a little water to loosen the sauce. Continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes until it thickens and turns pale yellow.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook for just slightly under the recommended time – about 7 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, rub the olive oil all over the kale. Spread out over a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until completely crisp. Sprinkle the sea salt flakes over the top.
- Drain the macaroni and transfer to the pan of squash sauce. Stir to combine and gently heat through over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Serve in heated bowls and top with the salty, crispy kale.
Chef quote
The one thing I often encounter when people discover I'm vegan is an immediate lamentation for my cheeseless existence. It's true that cheese is no longer a part of my life, and, despite having previously spent most of my days as a total dairy fiend, even I can't quite fathom why I simply don't miss it. Perhaps, in part, it has a lot to do with dishes like this one, which perfectly replicates that ultimate comfort-food feel – and something tells me you won't be boo-hooing about the lack of Cheddar either.