No matter how many times I say I hate pasta, I still LOVE my mac and cheese. But since I’m trying not to eat cheese anymore (or as often), I decided to do another variation of the oh so famous cheeseless mac and cheese last night. It proved to be the perfect ending to a very crazy weekend and a perfect Fruit Not Fat recipe so I can continue on my merry Fat Swapping way!

Ingredients:
- 12 oz elbow macaroni or rigatoni (as pictured above)
- 6-7 red fingerling potatoes, sliced (leave skin on)
- 1/2 bunch chard, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp tumeric
- 1.5 tbsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup unsalted, roasted cashews
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni (or rigatoni) over medium-high heat until, about 8 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and garlic until golden brown. Add the potatoes, chard and half of the seasonings (tumeric, paprika, salt and pepper) and cook about 2 minutes. Add the veggie broth and the rest of the spices and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until tender.
4. Grind the cashews in a high-speed blender until ground to a fine powder. Add the chard and potato mixture and the remaining broth. Taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary.
5. Combine the sauce with the cooked macaroni and transfer to lightly greased pan. Bake until hot and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds delicious! I haven’t tried using cashews for creaminess yet.
OMG… you hate pasta? Hmmm
But… that looks incredible, I must try it asap!
I never would have thought to use cashews in a recipe like this! Up until I saw the cashews I was reading the ingredients thinking, delicious, delicious, yes, delicious, love - WHAT?
But I definitely won’t knock it, because now that I think about it, that sounds awesome. Thanks for the idea!