Hack your Mac with this comforting Chickapea Vegan Mac dish. Who doesn’t enjoy Mac and “Cheese”? This baked hack of the classic, creamy dish is a delicious entree for any night of the week. The breaded artichokes and tangy aioli give a flavourful crunch to the recipe, an unexpected but delightful twist when paired with Chickapea Vegan Mac. The high protein Chickapea Vegan Mac adds a variety of nutrients to the dish, making it a great vegan, gluten-free and nut-free meal.

Breaded Artichoke Vegan Mac

• Prep Time:  20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time:  55 minutes
• Course: Dinner
• Cuisine: American
• Servings: 4 people

 Breaded Artichoke Ingredients:

• 2 14oz cans artichoke hearts, packaged in water
• ½ cup gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup oat milk, unsweetened
• ½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs
• 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp crushed chili flakes
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp onion powder

 Aioli Ingredients:

• ½ cup vegan mayo
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp hot sauce, to taste
• Crushed chili flakes, to taste

 Vegan Mac Ingredients:

• 1 package of Chickapea Vegan Mac
• ¾ cup oat milk, unsweetened
• 2 Tbsp vegan butter
• 3 Tbsp plain vegan cream cheese
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ tsp table salt, rounded
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder 

Finishing Ingredients:

• ½ lemon
• Pinch of sea salt 

Artichoke Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Drain and rinse artichokes.
3. Pat artichokes dry and slice each heart in half.
4. In a small bowl mix the flour and oat milk together until well combined into a thin batter.
5. In a second bowl mix gluten-free bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper, crushed chili pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and onion powder until well combined.
6. One at a time, dip the artichoke pieces first into the batter to coat them fully, then roll each piece into the breadcrumbs.
7. Lay the coated artichoke out on a parchment-lined baking tray and repeat with each remaining artichoke piece.
8. Once all pieces have been coated bake the breaded artichokes in the oven for 22 minutes.

Aioli Method:

1. In a small bowl mix together all aioli ingredients until well combined.
2. Adjust salt and spice amounts to personal preference.

Vegan Mac Method:

1. While the breaded artichokes are baking, prepare the Chickapea Vegan Mac (heat 8 cups of water in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add pasta, decrease heat to maintain a gentle boil. Stir and cook pasta for 5 minutes).
2. Drain and rinse the pasta with warm water and add it back to the pot.
3. Place the pot back on the burner over low heat.
4. Mix the contents of the vegan mac seasoning package, vegan butter, and plant-based oat milk, into the pasta until combined.
5. Add the vegan cream cheese, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder and onion powder to the pot, mixing the pasta until all the ingredients have melted and becomes evenly incorporated into the sauce.
6. Transfer the vegan mac mixture into an oven-safe dish and pat the noodles down evenly with the back of a spoon.
7. When the breaded artichokes are done baking, place them as close together as possible over the Vegan Mac in the baking dish on a single layer.
8. Drizzle the layer of breaded artichokes with a generous amount of the aioli, reserving some for serving (less than half for serving).
9. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake until the aioli melts into the artichokes and vegan mac, roughly 5 minutes.
10. Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
11. Squeeze the garnish lemon over the baked dish and sprinkle a pinch of finishing salt.
12. Enjoy! 

Recipe Notes:

• The ranges offered in the ingredient list are meant to add flexibility to the level of spice in the recipe. Use suggested minimums if heat isn’t desired, adding more to taste if spice is enjoyed.
• Frank’s RedHot original was used as the hot sauce in the aioli.
• Tofutti plain cream cheese was used in the recipe.
• Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten-free flour blend was the flour of choice in this dish.
• Often gluten-free bread crumbs are quite large, if this is the case, crush or pulse the bread crumbs in a small food processor until they are a finer grainy texture.
• This recipe can be served warm or at room temperature, not cold.
• This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for larger groups.