Loaded Noodles with Spicy Queso

A vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, one-pot, not blender queso that is spicy, savoury and oh so easy… ummm, yes please! This simple, flavour-packed meal will have you eating a delicious and nutritious meal in 30 minutes or less. Keep it simple with the toppings listed in the recipe or get creative with anything you have on hand. The base of high protein Chickapea noodles topped with spicy queso makes a great foundation to build your meal from.

Loaded Noodles with Spicy Queso

  • Prep Time:  10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time:  25 minutes
  • Course: Lunch or Dinner
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Servings: 3-4 people

Queso Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup gluten-free flour, 1-1 blend*
  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp table salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp vegan butter*
  • 1 cup salsa*
  • 1 Tbsp pickled jalapenos, minced*
  • 1 tsp hot sauce, optional

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Chickapea Penne
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 avocadoes, chopped
  • ¼ cup red onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, diced

Queso Method:

  1. In a small bowl pot mix together nutritional yeast, gluten free flour, paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
  2. Add water to the pot and mix the contents well.
  3. Place pot over medium heat on stovetop.
  4. Whisking constantly, warm the contents of the pot for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Continuing to whisk, add the salsa, vegan butter, jalapenos and hot sauce to the pot and continue to mix for another 2 minutes.
  6. Remove the mixture from the heat and let stand, cooling until ready to serve.

Pasta and Plating Method:

  1. Prepare Chickapea penne to package specifications. (Heat 16 cups of water in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add pasta and 2 Tbsp of salt to the water, decrease heat to maintain a gentle boil. Stir and cook pasta for 7 minutes.)
  2. Drain pasta and rinse with warm water.
  3. Plate pasta into serving bowls and top with queso.
  4. Add tomato, cilantro, avocado and onion on top of the queso.
  5. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

  • Medium salsa was used in this recipe. Adjust the type of salsa for a milder or spicier queso.
  • Earth Balance original spread was used as the vegan butter in the queso.
  • Frank’s RedHot original was used as the hot sauce in the queso, but is entirely optional.
  • Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten-free flour blend was the flour of choice in this dish.
  • Adjust the amount of jalapeno in the queso to change the amount of spice in the recipe. Add no jalapenos for a mild queso.
  • This recipe can be served warm or at room temperature, not cold.
  • This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for larger groups.
  • Store unused queso in a airtight jar in the fridge for 3-4 days.