Who is in the mood for comfort? Those curl up on the couch, warmth in your belly, mouth-watering aroma from the kitchen moments so many of us crave as the days get shorter. With a classic mixture of flavours and a favourite like macaroni, comfort won’t be the only thing you’ll be craving.

This recipe combines two much-loved tastes, macaroni and “cheese” with loaded pierogis for a delectable vegan, gluten-free meal you’ll be wanting whatever the season.

Loaded Pierogi Vegan Mac 

Prep Time: 20 min.

Cook Time: 50 min.

Total Time: 1 hour 10 min.

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Eastern European

Servings: 8-12

Roasted Potato Ingredients:

Vegan Mac Ingredients:

Kapusta Topping Ingredients:

2 Tbsp avocado oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sauerkraut

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 420°F 
2. Wash and dry 1 cup of baby potatoes
3. Cut each potato into 3-5 circular slices
4. Lay slices out on an oven safe sheet, brush with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and onion powder
5. Bake until the slices are tender (the length of time will vary depending on the thickness of the potato slices but it should not take longer than 20 minutes)
6. Meanwhile, in a large pot prepare Chickapea Vegan Mac to package specifications 
7. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot
8. Mix in the sauce packet included in the box, vegan butter and plant milk
9. Return the pot to the stovetop, add in vegan cream cheese, nutritional yeast, prepared mustard, hot sauce and salt
10. Melt vegan cream cheese into the mixture over lowest heat while stirring continuously
11. Transfer the Chickapea Vegan Mac to the bottom of an oven-safe casserole dish
12. Once potatoes have cooked layer them out evenly over the Chickapea Vegan Mac
13. Reduce oven heat to 350°F
14. In a frying pan heat 2 Tbsp of avocado oil over medium-low heat
15. In a strainer rinse sauerkraut under cool water for 30 seconds, press out excess water
16. Add sauerkraut, onion and garlic to the pan and fry until the onions begin browning
17. Spoon the mixture evenly over the potato layer in the casserole dish, cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes
18. Once cooked remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
19. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

1. Kapusta is a staple in many Polish, Ukrainian and Russian homes. This is a highly simplified, but delicious version of the mixture that gives this casserole the undoubtedly familiar “pierogi” taste. Essentially, kapusta is fried cabbage, or more specifically fried sauerkraut. It is extremely simple to make and well worth the time to bring this dish up to a memorable meal. If you want your topping crispy, fry it a bit longer in the pan until the cabbage and onions are more well done.
2. Unsweetened plant milk is required for this recipe to reach the right combination of savoury flavours. Sweetening or vanilla flavouring will not allow the proper taste to come out of the vegan mac.
3. To speed up the recipe preparation, try using leftover cooked potatoes as your potato layer.

The ways to #hackyourmac using Chickapea's Vegan Mac are endless, so get creative and show us what you come up with on Instagram! #choosechickapea