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Mac' n’ Cheese Nostalgia: My Take on Camp’s Vegan Cheezy Mac

Check out my experience with this new vegan boxed mac' n’ cheese, plus my recipe for how to kick the meal up a notch!

By Farmer NickPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 4 min read

Created withCamp

Top Story - March 2022
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There’s nothing more nostalgic for me than mac' n’ cheese. I’ll never forget the times that my younger sister and I would parade around the house yelling “Mac' n’ Cheese! Mac' n’ Cheese! Can I have some please?”

Mom would usually relent just to get us to stop singing, and we would sit down to lunch with a creamy bowl of white cheddar mac' n’ cheese. So simple, yet so delicious; a good bowl of warm, creamy mac' n’ cheese hits all the right senses. There’s nothing that the dynamic duo of cheese and pasta can’t do.

However, as a health-conscious vegan going on three years without any animal products, mac' n’ cheese usually doesn’t hold the same weight in my life. While I’m a big fan of many vegan cheeses, most don’t live up to their dairy counterparts when it comes to the creaminess and texture required for mac' n’ cheese.

As I get older, I’ve also begun avoiding basic pasta because let’s face it, those carbohydrates don’t metabolize as they used to when I was 12. To me, regular pasta just isn’t worth the calories and, to top it all off, most boxes of pasta come packaged with some kind of non-recyclable plastic film. If you add all these factors together, store-bought mac' n’ cheese just isn’t worth it to me anymore.

The childhood nostalgia was all but gone until a friend of mine recommended Camp Vegan Mac' n’ Cheese. Not wanting to get my hopes up, I retained a healthy amount of mac' n’ cheese skepticism. I’d been burned before, but I was willing to give it a shot. Before even taking it out of the box, I was impressed by the fact that:

  1. There was no plastic packaging in sight!
  2. The pasta is gluten-free and made of 100% organic brown rice, non-GMO zucchini, carrots, and pea protein.
  3. The cheese is made of a diverse vegetable blend consisting of Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Powders, Tapioca starch, Organic Rice Syrup, Yeast Extract, and Cornstarch.
  4. Each serving has a healthy 10 grams of protein.

I’ll admit it, Camp was off to a good start, but the ultimate question still remained: Will this box of veggies taste like mac' n’ cheese?

The answer: a resounding Y-E-S!

The memories of mac' n’ cheese came flooding back to me with every spoonful, and just thinking about it activates my salivary glands. The rich flavor of the cheese exceeded my expectations, and the pasta was surprisingly smooth and springy, compared to many alternative veggie pastas that tend to be grainy and thick.

Camp Vegan Mac' n’ Cheese had passed the test, and I became that same 12-year-old parading around my house singing the mac ‘n’ cheese song (my roommates were quite concerned, but forgave me once I let them try the mac ‘n’ cheese for themselves.)

While the vegan mac dish was delicious on its own, I didn’t stop there. My mother, also very health conscious, would always throw in other veggies and ingredients into our basic, boxed mac' n’ cheese. She would add broccoli, peas, and herbs to brighten up the dish and add more veggies into the equation. Using her as inspiration, I decided to do something similar for my next Camp mac ‘n’ cheese meal to take it up a notch.

Thus, the Honeynut Camp Vegan Mac' n’ Cheese was born. This creation used Camp’s Vegan Mac' n’ Cheese as a base, but I blended roasted honeynut squash into the cheese mix. I then garnished the noodles with my farmers’ market finds, adding oyster mushroom bacon, caramelized onions, homemade breadcrumbs, and fresh fennel from my garden. It was a dish mama would be proud of, and knowing it was 100% vegan, filled with protein, and an elevated version of a childhood favorite made it all the more delectable.

Try out my recipe when you get your next mac' n’ cheese craving!

Mac' n’ Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 Box of Camp Vegan Cheezy Mac
  • 1 Small or Medium Honeynut Squash (cubed)
  • You can sub out for butternut squash if necessary.
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion (diced)
  • 2-3 Oyster Mushrooms (shredded)
  • Any mushroom will do, but I recommend oyster or shitake.
  • ¼ Cup Coconut Cream
  • 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
  • Toasted Breadcrumbs (garnish)
  • Fennel Leaves (garnish)
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan, heat EVOO and add diced yellow onions.
  2. Sauté for five minutes on medium heat or until onions turn translucent.
  3. Stir in coconut sugar and lower to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes, or until onions are brown and caramelized.
  4. While onions are caramelized, preheat oven to 400º F.
  5. Cube honeynut squash and lightly coat in oil, salt, and pepper.
  6. Add to a baking sheet and let roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and tender.
  7. With your hands, pull apart the oyster mushrooms.
  8. Add mushrooms to saucepan on low to medium heat for a dry sauté.
  9. Dry sauté mushrooms for 10-15 minutes while mixing occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  10. Set a pot of water on the stove and add Camp pasta once it boils.
  11. Remove squash from the oven and put in a blender.
  12. Add Camp vegan cheese powder along with coconut cream and nutritional yeast.
  13. Blend until creamy and smooth. If needed, add a splash of water to loosen up the consistency.
  14. Boil pasta until al dente, and then strain.
  15. Add pasta to a bowl and incorporate your honeynut sauce.
  16. Once incorporated, add in mushrooms and caramelized onions.
  17. Garnish with breadcrumbs and fennel.

Getting to share healthy vegan food like this is a gift, and I can’t wait to return home this spring to make a bowl of mac' n’ cheese for my mom and sister

Get your first month free when you sign up for a Camp Vegan Cheezy Mac subscription with code CS74WJ8B14YK. Just pay shipping!

recipe
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About the Creator

Farmer Nick

Nick Cutsumpas

@farmernick on Instagram

Plant Coach + Urban Farmer 🌱 LA | NYC📍

Plants = regenerative stepping stones 🌍

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