Puerto Rican Mac & Cheese (Print)

Loaded Puerto Rican mac with crunchy plantains, creamy vegan cheese, and a pop of sofrito.

# Ingredients:

→ Mac n Cheese Basics

01 - 4 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
02 - 2–3 cups smashed plantain chips
03 - 80 grams Follow Your Heart Parmesan-style shreds
04 - 350–440 grams pasta of choice, already cooked
05 - 16 slices Follow Your Heart American-style cheese
06 - 240 millilitres tomato sauce
07 - 320 grams chopped tomatoes
08 - 30 grams nutritional yeast
09 - 1 tablespoon smoky paprika
10 - 3 tablespoons poultry spice blend
11 - 480 millilitres coconut milk
12 - 2 tablespoons organic flour
13 - 2 tablespoons vegan butter or veggie broth

→ Sofrito

14 - 20 grams fresh recao
15 - 20 grams fresh cilantro leaves
16 - 1 aji dulce, habanero, or sweet chili pepper
17 - 35 grams green Cubanelle, Cuban, or Italian long pepper
18 - 3 tablespoons minced garlic
19 - 40 grams white onion
20 - 60 grams red bell pepper
21 - 60 grams green bell pepper

# Steps:

01 - Right after pulling your dish from the oven, sprinkle a big handful of cilantro on top, then dig in while it's warm.
02 - Sprinkle grated Parmesan-style shreds plus those crushed plantain chips all over the pasta, then stick it in your hot oven (215°C) and bake for about 10–18 minutes. If you want gooier cheese, quickly spray a bit of water on top before or during baking.
03 - Take your cooked pasta, toss it in a baking dish, and pour about 4–6 cups of the creamy cheese sauce over everything. Give it a good stir so every noodle's covered.
04 - Drop in American cheese slices and stir around until they turn all gooey and melted. Want more herbs or heat? Add a little more sofrito, salt, or pepper here if you're into it.
05 - Chuck in chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, poultry-style seasoning, smoky paprika, and nutritional yeast. Give the pot a solid stir so it's all mixed up nicely.
06 - Sprinkle in the flour bit by bit as you pour in the coconut milk. Whisk the whole time so the sauce gets smooth and thick without lumps.
07 - Heat vegan butter until melted in your biggest pot. Add 1–4 tablespoons of homemade sofrito based on how much kick you want.
08 - Move those sautéed veggies into your food processor with the fresh cilantro and recao, splash in just a little veggie broth, and blend until you've got a thick, chunky salsa. Use what you need and freeze the extra for next time.
09 - Toss the red and green bell peppers, onion, garlic, mild green pepper, and sweet or spicy pepper in a big pan with a bit of oil and salt. Cook 'til everything's soft and just a little browned.

# Notes:

01 - Any extra sofrito can be frozen so you've got it handy later on.
02 - Spraying water on the cheesy top while baking gets non-dairy cheese to melt much better.
03 - Feel free to tweak how much sofrito you add, depending on how flavor-packed you like it.

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