Vegan Macaroni Pie with Kimchi

"The only bad kimchi is no kimchi."

- Unknown

If you've never had kimchi before, you might be surprised by its fermented smell. But if you're willing to get past that, you will not be disappointed by the blast of flavour. There are over 200 varieties of kimchi and not all of them are spicy, so if you have the opportunity to taste other options, do it! Some are spicy, some are salty. Some are red, some are white. Some use cabbage while others use radishes, but they are all worth trying!

That's why I was so excited to share my vegan macaroni pie kimchi version with you! It's a beautiful mixture between spicy and savoury. I love the blend and I really hope you will as well. Happy eating!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (360g) - Macaroni (uncooked)

1 Large Potato

1 Large Onion

1 Large Carrot (or 1 cup (130g) of baby carrots

1/2 cup (65g) - Cashews (raw or roasted)

2 tbsp (8g) - Nutritional yeast

2 Cloves of Garlic

1 1/2 cups (310g) - Cooking water

1 tbsp - Salt

1 1/2 cups (110g) - Panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp - Black pepper

1 tbsp - Dried Parsley

Directions:

1. In a pot of boiling water, cook the pasta. Follow the instructions on the packaging. When finished, drain and place into a large casserole dish.

2. Next, put on another pot of boiling water.

3. Prepare your potato, onion, carrot and garlic cloves, by roughly chopping into halves and cubes. Place into the second pot of boiling water and cover. Allow the pot to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until you can easily pierce the carrots and potatoes with a fork.

4. While you are waiting, chop the kimchi into small pieces. Set aside.

5. Once the potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic are ready, sift them out of the water and place them into a blender. Add the salt, nutritional yeast and the cashews. Add the cooking water that they were boiling in and blend until smooth.

6. Preheat your oven the 400 degrees.

7. Pour the sauce over the macaroni and mix. Then add the kimchi and continue mixing until fully incorporated.

8. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, pepper and parsley. sprinkle evenly over the macaroni. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until you have a nice, golden brown colour on top.

9. When it first comes out of the oven, it will be ooey and gooey and will easily fall apart. The cooler it gets, the more it will keep its shape. I personally love it the following days after it's been refrigerated, but that's just me! Enjoy!