With none other than Samah Dada…

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Mac and cheese.

A friend who will NEVER let you down.

A warm bowl of creamy comfort and nostalgia.

And this one, in particular? Homemade, dairy-free, and infused with a bit of Samah Dada’s heritage.

Samah – or Dada Eats, as she’s known by her many fans – has basically taken a cupboard staple and created a made-from-scratch version that is uninhibiting and possibly addicting. Subbing out cheese for blended cashew nuts and nutritional yeast, and adding her blend of cumin/turmeric/cayenne for some slightly unexpected but very appreciated zing.

Impress your friends/family/yourself, and stir up a pot of Masala Mac this holiday. Or pretty much any time you please.

With thanks to the wonderfully good folks at Cherry Bombe, here’s Samah!

Masala Mac & Cheese
Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1⁄2 large yellow onion or 1 small onion, diced
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
11⁄2 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight, then drained)
1⁄4 cup mashed, steamed or roasted sweet potato (about 1⁄2 medium sweet potato)
1 cup vegetable broth
1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast
11⁄2 tsp garlic powder
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper, plus extra (optional) for garnish
10 ounces dried short pasta (elbows, bowties, or penne work well here)
Handful of fresh cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish

Method
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil is shimmering, add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until they become translucent and are starting to brown around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Set them aside.

In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine drained cashews, mashed sweet potato, sautéed onions, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne. (Hold off on seasoning the sauce with salt and black pepper. You’ve just cooked and seasoned the onions, so we can do this to taste once we do our first round of blending.) Blend on the highest setting until the sauce comes together and is creamy, velvety, and smooth. Don’t be afraid to blend a few times to get it there! Now season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente according to the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse.

Transfer the pasta to a large bowl or serving dish, and pour sauce over pasta and stir until everything is thoroughly and deliciously coated. This is a very saucy mac, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Garnish with cilantro and a dash of cayenne pepper (for an extra kick, if desired).

Watch The Recipe, below.

And for more of Samah’s plant-based creations, buy her newest cookbook here.