Inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Mac & Shews at Modern Love Brooklyn which I cannot afford to eat as much as I would like to.
what you need, in order of preparation
Wash and quarter 1 large unpeeled potato, 1 large unpeeled carrot, 1 large onion (any kind of each will do), and 2 cloves of garlic.
Fill a medium saucepan with just enough water to cover vegetables and boil, covered, for 10-15 mins or until very tender.
While vegetables are cooking, boil 1 lb of macaroni noodles in a large pot.* Set a timer. You're going to be multi-tasking and you don't want mushy macaroni.
While macaroni is cooking, bring cast iron skillet (or whatever you have) to medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Once the oil heats and spreads across pan, add in 1 lb of oyster or shiitake mushrooms, quartered lengthwise. Sauté over medium heat until lightly brown.
Add in 2 cups of chopped dark, leafy greens like dino kale or rainbow chard to mushrooms and sauté until greens are slightly wilted. Cover with lid and remove from heat.
Using a slotted spoon, remove boiled vegetables from the saucepan and place into a food processor. Do not toss the water. You're going to need it.
Add to food processor 1/2 cup of reserve vegetable water, 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard, 2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sriracha (optional), 1/8 tsp liquid smoke (optional), freshly cracked pepper and either truffle salt or himalayan pink salt to taste. Blend until very smooth.
While the cheese sauce is blending, drain the macaroni.
Back to the sauce. Adjust the seasoning to your taste, and add more vegetable water or nut milk to reach your desired consistency. Add cheese sauce to macaroni noodles and stir to combine.
Spoon into bowls and top with a hearty portion of shrooms and greens.
*You don't need nearly as much water to boil pasta as what is called for on the package. I usually half the amount of water which limits waste of a finite resource and cooking time.
