• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • YouTube
TVV-Logo-for-bright-bg

The Viet Vegan

Vegan. Feminist. Nerd.

  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipe Index
  • Work With Me
    • Press

Red Curry Mac and Cheese

September 28, 2016 by Lisa Le 16 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Vegan Red Curry Mac and Cheese

Sometimes I feel like I’m revisiting my favourite recipes over and over. Mac and cheese done this way and that way. I was afraid you folks wold be sick of it, but I’m not sick of it—I adore mac and cheese. Creamy, silky, tender, chewy. With buttery spinach, tofu bursting with flavour, and velveteen cheese sauce with a kick of heat marrying everything together.

I never really enjoyed mac and cheese growing up—it wasn’t until I was 14 that I had my first taste of Kraft Dinner. But maybe at that odd age, the age I moved to a new city and made the effort to be a part of the popular group. Confused, exhausted and alone, I turned to the comfort of mac and cheese and my online friends to make me feel like I belonged somewhere.
Vegan Red Curry Mac and Cheese

That kind of makes me sound like the ultimate loser, doesn’t it?

I’ll let you in on a secret.

When I first moved to the new city, I had this notion of becoming popular and how that would make me happy. I became a part of the cool kids group. I went to parties, I knew who liked who, I giggled with the popular girls—until I realized that parties bored me, I didn’t really care who didn’t like who back, and the jokes some of the popular kids told were honestly not even that funny.

It’s exhausting, being around people you don’t really feel safe around. Trying to put on a cool facade, where you’re funny, wearing what everyone else is wearing even though it’s uncomfortable and doesn’t make you feel good in your own skin. After maybe about 2 months I gave up and found the nerds who were much more interesting to me. I didn’t have to try to be a coordinated athlete, I was much happier watching Lord of the Rings on the couch instead of Candyman while other kids were drinking.

I learned my lesson when I was 14, so you’d think that I’d know better by now, wouldn’t you?

Vegan Red Curry Mac and Cheese

It seems like that desire to find your spot in the group doesn’t ever really leave you. From YouTube circles, to blogger groups, to even my friends or new people that I meet. Much like my 14-year-old self, I’ve decided that it’s not worth the effort of being wittier than I am or more colourful than I care to be. My friends have spread out and I felt a little lost and without my tribe. I’ll be who I am and I’ll find my people again. It worked once, and it’ll work again.

Here’s to being me :)

Continue to Content
Yield: 4 servings

Red Curry Mac and Cheese

Vegan Red Curry Mac and Cheese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the tofu:

  • 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or cooking oil of choice)
  • 1/4 tsp black salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 block of firm tofu (454 g), cut into 1 inch x 1/2 inch pieces

For the cheese sauce:

  • 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp red curry paste (use a heaping tsp if you like it spicy!)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 cups vegan cheddar cheeze shreds

To assemble

  • 2 cups uncooked macaroni elbows
  • 1 cup kale
  • 3 heaping cups of baby spinach (you can use only kale or only spinach if you'd prefer)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)

Instructions

For the tofu:

  1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. In a bowl, mix oil, black salt, garlic powder, and soy sauce until combined. Toss cut tofu in the sauce until coated. Add to heated pan and cook until browned and extra moisture is cooked off. Set aside.

For the cheese sauce:

  1. Bring a large pot to a boil and cook 2 cups of macaroni until tender.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a small pot over medium heat.
  3. In a small bowl, make a slurry with 2 tbsp of non-dairy milk and 2 tsp cornstarch (whisk until cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain). Mix in red curry paste until incorporated into the slurry.
  4. Add remainder of non-dairy milk to pot, then pour in red curry slurry, garlic powder, and vegan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and you get a thick but smooth cheese sauce.
  5. Before macaroni is completely cooked, add kale and spinach to the pot and cook until wilted. Drain macaroni and greens, then transfer back into the pot.
  6. Stir in cooked tofu and cheese sauce and mix until well combined.
  7. Add salt to taste, and serve!

Notes

If you prefer to not use tofu, feel free to substitute soy curls, vegan chicken, chickpeas, or even just use some edamame or green peas. You can season the soy curls and vegan chicken the same way, but for chickpeas, edamame, or green peas, just adjust the seasoning until it tastes the way you like it :)

© Lisa Le

Vegan Red Curry Mac and Cheese

Spread the love:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Dinner, Lunch, Vegan recipes Tagged With: mac and cheese, red curry, vegan

About Lisa Le

Lisa is the thirty-something, nerdy, procrastinating, feminist blogger and photographer behind The Viet Vegan. She loves spicy foods, noodles, and food in bowls.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pauline Luong says

    September 28, 2016 at 9:12 AM

    Wow, Lisa! What a unique idea to add red curry to mac n cheese! That sounds both intriguing and yummy. I really want to try it out. The red curry brings more color to the cost, as does the spinach.

    I also know what you mean by finding your place. I too felt that way but always was a nerd. I joined a dance version of cheer on high school and felt very of of my element. When you find your group of people that you feel comfortable with, it’s fulfilling. Though time and circumstance has spread your friends around the world, I’m sure you’ll find a local group you can feel good with again. And, I feel that no matter distance or time, you can always do call on true friends and it will feel like nothing ever changed. Good luck :)

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      October 2, 2016 at 10:57 PM

      Oh for sure, I still have my core friends I can call anytime I really need to talk, but I miss having those friends that just can pop by on a weeknight to hang or something, y’know?

      Reply
  2. Linda says

    October 8, 2016 at 11:41 PM

    Hi Lisa, I really enjoy and appreciate your blog and video’s!
    I hope that I’m not being too forward, but you mentioned in
    one of your video’s that you have eczema. I used to have eczema,
    my hands would be so sore and painful. I found that taking grapefruit
    seed extract helped.. I’m not a doctor, but there can be a connection
    between what is called leaky gut syndrome and eczema, ( Google it).
    Sometimes with leaky gut syndrome there can be an imbalance in the
    gut microflora which can lead to a systemic yeast over growth, which can
    sometimes cause painful swelling and cracking of the skin on the hands,
    (which is what happened to me). I used an antifungul cream on my hands
    and it helped. I also found that taking probiotics helped.
    I hope this information will bring you some relief from your eczema.
    Good luck and thanks again for the entertaining and informative video’s
    and blogs and for being Vegan!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      October 12, 2016 at 8:18 PM

      Thanks for this! I’ve talked to my gastroenterologist about leaky gut earlier this year and how I felt like I had a lot of the symptoms of leaky gut, but all my doctor said was to cut out gluten =/ I went on a kombucha craze and probiotic/fermented food spree last year and I think it was just a little too acidic for my body and I started to break out, so I cut it out for a while because I was a little afraid. I’ll have to look into it again for a second opinion.

      Reply
      • J. Shea says

        February 17, 2019 at 12:45 PM

        Hello! Not sure what curry paste folks are using, but as someone who has a deadly shellfish allergy, just wanted to remind that a lot of store bought red curry pastes are not vegan/contain shellfish. Something to lookout for. Cheers and thanks for the recipe!

        Reply
  3. Faith says

    November 4, 2017 at 11:46 AM

    Hello. This looks delicious ?. I haven’t been able to convince myself to try fake cheese products but this looks so good I am going to make an exception. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  4. Pauline says

    January 12, 2019 at 3:23 PM

    Can I ask you to share info on Red Curry paste. Is this something I can get in uk or order online? I’ve never heard of it

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      January 23, 2019 at 2:56 PM

      I just buy it at the grocery store, I think I show it in the video :)

      Reply
  5. bianca says

    February 28, 2019 at 7:30 PM

    Looks good! How many calories?

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      March 2, 2019 at 12:19 AM

      Not sure! I don’t calculate calories.

      Reply
  6. Bree says

    March 20, 2019 at 5:59 PM

    Girl, this mac n cheese fucked up my day. Congratulations on somehow making a dish that was somehow both bland and repulsive. This is so bad that I felt compelled to leave a scathing review after ONE BITE. Jesus christ, lady. Find a new passion because you’re recipes are the detritus of the culinary arts.

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      April 7, 2019 at 11:27 AM

      LOL this comment. How did you manage to make it bland? With the spices, salt, and the amount of salt, it definitely should not be bland. I’ve made this recipe so many times XD

      Reply
  7. Debby says

    April 8, 2019 at 2:32 PM

    I just served this — the family loved it! It was nice and easy. I used a mild red curry paste, as I can’t eat spicy food. The result was delicious, a subtle yet pleasant and creamy mac ‘n cheese. I made a bit more than the recipe said, and the three of us piggies all had seconds! I’ll definitely be trying your other recipes, Lisa!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      April 9, 2019 at 4:04 PM

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for the feedback :)

      Reply
  8. Ainsley says

    August 21, 2019 at 8:33 AM

    The base of the recipe is great. I followed it to a T and it turned out bland for me too. Love to gooey sauce and the whole concept. Next time I’ll add more curry paste, maybe some paprika and more salt and pepper!

    Reply
  9. Hope says

    May 21, 2020 at 6:58 PM

    Just made it–wow! Wonderful and simple! My non-vegan boyfriend liked it too ;)

    Extra stuff I added:
    Red chili paste and liquid smoke when cooking the tofu
    Turmeric, nutritional yeast, and a tbsp of vegan margarine to the cheese sauce

    I will definitely make this again! It’s MUCH better than the boxed vegan mac and cheese.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Lisa

Xin chào! Welcome to my food blog. Thanks for visiting, reading, and enabling my obsession with food and photography.

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

looking for something?

Recipe index sidebar
YouTube-Graphic-side
Vietnamese recipe index button
  • Popular
  • Recent

Footer

What are you craving?

Recipe index footer

Looking for something?

Find me in other places :)

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Find me on YouTube!

youtube_watch

View

Jan 16

Open
My latest YouTube video with my recipe for EZ PZ sourdough bread is live. No need to wait for a levain, no autolyze, and no super wet, sticky dough or gummy bread!
🍞
I've been thoroughly enjoying all this bread and how consistently delicious it has been! Please go give it a watch to hear me wax and wane about bread, or check out the blog post for a video with no talking, only bread 😂
🍞
#thevietveganrecipes https://youtu.be/Y9R2Ivw1tgQ #thevietvegan #sourdough #sourdoughbread #flourwatersalt #masamadre #breadmaking #veganfoodshare #bestofvegan #veganbaking
614 13
View

Jan 13

Open
Just a new What I Eat In a Day vlog where I make many bready things and get extremely excited about my new water bottle 🤣Featuring the vegan spicy negi ramen kit from @crafty_ramen (gifted), my go-to daal, sourdough naan experiments and discard bread experiments!It's live on the channel now 😊
https://youtu.be/QuagXSKuknE#thevietvegan #thevietveganrecipes #whatveganseat #whatieatinaday #kwvegansociety #hamiltonvegan #hamont #veganfood #veganuary2021
1063 30
View

Jan 9

Open
Henlo it's been a very busy week on my end but I've been working hard to try to get back up to 2x a week uploads again. So last week I posted two bookish videos and today I posted my sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies!
🍪
Crisp edges, chewy centre, crunchy flakes of @maldonsalt on top...MMM. A perfect way to use up some sourdough discard!
🍪
Video is up on the channel, and recipe is on the blog🥰https://bit.ly/2LilQk3#thevietvegan #thevietveganrecipes #whatveganseat #sourdoughdiscard #sourdough #🍪
712 18
View

Dec 16

Open
[AD] Tis the season for finger food and delicious bites! So many vegan charcuteries tend to be nut-heavy, but for those who are allergic to many things like me, you might enjoy this pizza snack board I created for @whollyveggie with some marinated mushrooms (recipe on the blog), fresh veggies, and olives, and vegan salami to snack on, with pizza sauce to dunk in!
🍕
I used the Classic Cheese, Margherita pizzas, and Naked Cauliflower Crust that are frozen and delicious for a snack board. I honestly kind of forgot that they were gluten-free because I love a nice, crisp thin crust and this was tender enough to yield a nice, chewy bite while being golden and crisp!
🍕
Find the recipe on my blog, deets on your closest Wholly Veggy retailer on their website, and please tag me and @whollyveggie in your homemade pizza snack boards! I'd love to see how you customize yours :)
🍕
#thevietvegan #whollyveggie #veggiefullmeals #respecttheveg #whatveganseat #veganfoodshare #bestofvegan #vegancharcuterie #thevietveganrecipes https://bit.ly/3gTF22N
605 37
View

Nov 28

Open
Feeling like I got my mojo back! Also coincidentally my cycle ended, so maybe that had something to do with this week of super low energy and negativity 😂❣️😭Today I cleaned out the fridge, treated myself to a schnickers square from @covenhamilton and made some Instant Pot phở because Eddie's been missing @saigonlotustoronto and we haven't been able to go all year (for obvious reasons).You can find the recipe on the blog. I'll put a swipe up link since the link in bio sometimes take a second to populate, or you can use the search bar at the top of my blog! Hope you are all having a relaxing weekend ☺️Instant Pot Phở: http://bit.ly/2DdKATA#thevietvegan #thevietveganrecipes #whatveganseat #veganfoodshare #veganpho #vietvegan #vietnamesefood
1589 31
View

Nov 26

Open
A lot of you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, and while this Instant Pot red curry lentil and potato stew is not a Thanksgiving recipe, I wish you all the best this weekend and kindly remind you that Thanksgiving has a lot of colonial, traumatic and genocidal origins of Indigenous peoples across North America.
🍂
Eddie loves Thanksgiving food (I mostly like stuffing/dressing and mashed potatoes haha) so I understand that nostalgia and love for Thanksgiving fare, but I hope you also take this time to continue your education in Indigenous history, culture and how the exploitation and trauma still affects Indigenous cultures and peoples today.
🍂
I always worry I'm being like a bummer to remind you of this year after year, but I'm on my own journey of education and unlearning the history we were erroneously taught and all the convenient gaps that didn't tell the whole story. We are all unlearning together.
🍂
And while it is important to learn about the heavy history, I also implore you to appreciate and support Indigenous art and cultures. I recently finished reading Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson and I have many more books by Indigenous authors on my to-read list!
🍂
Enjoy the time with your loved ones (hopefully very safely, and hopefully you've quarantined before seeing each other). It can be hard to deny our families who have varying levels of concern, but know that the precautions you take now show the people you love and the communities we're in how much you care. Virtual celebrations aren't quite the same but are a nice stand-in for being alone.
🍂
Also fyi this is an Instant Pot red curry lentil and potato stew I shared last week. On YouTube and the blog! https://bit.ly/3nCsQWm
🍂
#thevietvegan #thanksgiving #thanksliving #veganthanksgiving #thevietveganrecipes #whatveganseat #veganmealprep
362 4
View

Nov 7

Open
I feel like it's no suprise to anyone that my favourite colour is green and that this green ramen is an herbaceous, vibrant way to eat your greens!
💚
PLUS I use peas in the sauce to add some lean, green protein so you don't feel hungry again in 20 minutes like you would if you just ate a pack of instant noodles 😂
💚
Recipe is linked in the bio, although it might take a sec to repopulate but it's also in my Asian recipe highlight (although it's not really Asian... it's just green saucy noods but my regular recipe highlight is getting too long 😅)
💚
#thevietvegan #thevietveganrecipes http://bit.ly/2w7pXE4 #whatveganseat #veganfoodshare #bestofvegan #eatyourgreens #vegan #vegansofig
1085 18
View

Oct 30

Open
Inari pockets with vegan crab salad from my last hiking vlog 🍱🌳🍂 some of y'all might remember that this package of tofu pockets was similar to the package I have bought before and I realized too late that they had clam and oyster extract in the seasoning.
🍁
Because I was going on a hike with a few omnis, I figured it was worth just using it anyway to feed them so it didn't go to waste, and that way Eddie and I didn't have to eat it all on our own. This dilemma can be controversial, and I've had people (well, one persistent person) hate on me for drinking a can of Arizona Iced Tea after I bought it and realized too late that it had honey in it.
🍁
Y'all, being vegan is point blank a privilege. Choosing what to eat, being informed enough to want to choose vegan, having access to fruits and vegetables that don't cost $$$$, having time to cook, having the time to LEARN how to cook, it is all overlapping privileges that enable any of us to eat vegan. Throwing food away because of a mistake you made even though it is perfectly edible is not helping the animals (and it is so wasteful!)
🍂
Obviously in this case, it was just extract and not actually pieces of meat, dairy, or egg, so it was easier for me to eat it without trying to think about it. And honestly, I'm unsure if I would be able to eat anything non-vegan without getting sick (because I got hives after eating the tofu pockets 🙃), but it's nuanced and eating a non-vegan product you bought by accident doesn't make you a bad person. It doesn't discount your veganism. You simply learn from it and keep trucking on.
🍁
Anyway, I explain this in the video but have a watch it you want to see how I made the inari and the beautiful trees on the hike 😁#thevietvegan #thevietveganrecipes https://youtu.be/aBY97WhZCw4 #inarisushi #whatveganseat
1010 35
View

Oct 27

Open
From before my last manicure 😅 vegan tempura batter for super crispy, light and simple fried goodness! Recipe is live on the blog :) the last few days have been pretty busy but hopefully I will be back on testing upcoming recipes soon!Recipe will be in the swipe up in stories, and linked in the bio (although sometimes it takes a sec to populate 😅)#thevietveganrecipes https://bit.ly/34y9lYv #thevietvegan #whatveganseat #veganfoodshare #vegantempura #bestofvegan #veganeats #eeeeeats #feedfeedvegan
624 15
View

Oct 15

Open
I've been eating this nearly every day for the past four days 😂 bánh hỏi thịt nướng chay! I've been meaning to develop a nem nướng chay recipe to go along with this but this week was not the week haha.
🥗
Did anyone else grow up eating platters upon platters of bánh hỏi at long weekend parties and family gatherings? I swear these take up less space in my body than actual noodles because I can always eat an alarming amount 😂
🥗
Check out the new video on YT and the recipe on my blog, swipe up links in my stories!
🥗
#thevietveganrecipes https://bit.ly/343B7vP #thevietvegan #whatveganseat #vietnamesefood #vietvegan #veganfoodshare #letscookvegan #banhhoi #vietkieu
1368 35
TVV logo

Copyright© 2021 · The Viet Vegan · All rights reserved

  • Recipe Index
  • Privacy Policy
  • Work With Me
  • Press