Craving a big plate of messy, cheesy nachos? Can’t do without comforting mac n’ cheese? Here’s my all-time favorite Best WFPB Cheese Sauce recipe.

Not only is it healthier than dairy or oil-based commercial cheese alternatives, it tastes really good!

You can stir this satisfying, whole food, plant-based vegan cheese sauce into pasta, as I’ve done here. But there other ways you’ll love using it.

Add salsa to make a spicy nacho cheese dip for baked nachos or cut up veggies
Add steamed broccoli and top a baked a potato – you won’t miss the butter!
Serve over baked oven fries with plant-based chili for healthy “chili cheese fries.”

Watch the video or scroll down for the plant-based macaroni and cheese style pasta dinner recipe.

Best WFPB Cheese Sauce with Bowtie Pasta

Ingredients

8 oz whole wheat bowtie pasta (or other whole wheat pasta)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 link oil-free No Evil Foods The Stallion Italian Sausage, sliced thin (optional)

Cashew Cheese Sauce

1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight, or boiled for 5-10 minutes to soften)
2 Tbsp. tahini
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk (plus more for thinning as needed)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika (try smoked paprika for nacho style sauce)
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric (for color)
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
4 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp. cornstarch (non-GMO) or arrowroot powder

Directions

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside.

Place all cheese sauce ingredients in a blender, reserving 1 cup of almond milk. Blend on high for several minutes until the cashews are well ground. Add the remaining cup of almond milk and blend until smooth.

Transfer the sauce to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat.

Combine the pasta and peas with about 3/4 of the sauce. Add some additional almond milk 1-2 Tbsp. at a time to get the desired consistency. Serve and enjoy!

Note: If you prefer to make a nacho style sauce, add 1/2 cup of salsa to the cheese sauce instead of extra plant milk. When reheating the remaining sauce for other uses, add some almond milk and heat on medium, stirring frequently.