AmericanPasta / noodles

Ultimate Mac Attack

Creamy white-bean mac and cheese with wholegrain pasta, just-tender broccoli, edamame and a deeply crisp breadcrumb finish.

Eat nowHeartyContains gluten, mustard, soy, tree nuts
Hands-on15 minTotal time25 minEnergy759 kcalProtein47g
Recipe details
Easy-going

Equipment: Hob, Blender

Keep chilled after cooking

Ultimate Mac Attack
Servings1 standard portionAdjust

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Standard portions

About 700 kcal per adult reference portion

Making 1 standard portion. Ingredients, instructions and Cooking Mode update together.

Doubling up barely adds effort and covers another mealtime.

Ingredients

Sauce

Stir-in

Crisp crumbs

Toppings

Now we make

Method

Do the night before

  1. 1
    Defrost 130g cooked white beans overnight in the fridge if using frozen
  2. 2
    Defrost 40g cooked edamame overnight in the fridge if using frozen
  3. 3
    Cover 12g cashews with water and soak overnight in the fridge, then drain

These steps sit outside the cooking-day clock.

15 min hands-on 25 min altogether
  1. 4
    Tear 15g wholemeal bread a small heel into small rough crumbs. Warm 2ml olive oil in the pasta saucepan over medium heat and stir the crumbs for 3-4 minutes until deeply golden and crisp, then tip them onto a plate
    πŸ– 4 min
  2. 5
    Blend cashews, 6g flaxseed, white beans, 120ml unsweetened soy milk, 16g nutritional yeast, 1 clove garlic, 1 pinch turmeric, ΒΎ tsp mustard and 15ml lemon juice until completely smooth. Blend for 2-3 minutes so the sauce turns silky rather than grainy
    πŸ– 4 min
  3. 6
    Cook 80g dry wholegrain pasta (macaroni or another small tubular shape) in well-salted boiling water according to packet instructions, adding 160g chopped broccoli for the final 2 minutes so it blanches alongside
    πŸ– 2 minπŸ’€ 10 min unattended
  4. 7
    Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving a mug of pasta water. Return the pot to low heat, pour in the sauce and edamame, then stir just until the sauce is glossy and coating every piece of pasta, loosening with reserved pasta water as needed so the broccoli stays tender and the edamame keeps its pop
    πŸ– 4 min
  5. 8
    Spoon into a bowl and finish with 1 pinch black pepper, 1 pinch chilli flakes and all the crisp crumbs, keeping them on top rather than stirring them into the sauce
    πŸ– 1 min

Look under the lid

Nutrition details

Nutrition is shown for one standard portion, not the whole batch selected above.

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Nutrition summary

At a glance

Higher inSeleniumVitamin KFolate
Lower inVitamin AVitamin E

Calories

759kcal

36%
Top contributors
Wholegrain Pasta Β· 36%White Beans Β· 17%Cashews Β· 9%
25% cal

Protein

47.5g

75%
Top contributors
Wholegrain Pasta Β· 23%White Beans Β· 23%Nutritional Yeast Β· 16%
51% cal

Carbs

96.1g

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Wholegrain Pasta Β· 44%White Beans Β· 26%Broccoli Β· 9%
24% cal

Fat

20.5g

29%
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Cashews Β· 26%Flaxseed Β· 12%Wholegrain Pasta Β· 11%

Small numbers, big impact

Everyday essentials

Fibre36.52g
124%
Top contributors
White Beans Β· 37%Wholegrain Pasta Β· 20%Broccoli Β· 14%
Vitamin B124.04ΞΌg
168%
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Nutritional Yeast Β· 63%Soy Milk Β· 37%
Vitamin D1.44ΞΌg
10%
Top contributors
Soy Milk Β· 100%
Iodine0.00ΞΌg
0%
Iron11.17mg
62%
Top contributors
White Beans Β· 27%Wholegrain Pasta Β· 26%Broccoli Β· 10%
Zinc6.85mg
62%
Top contributors
Wholegrain Pasta Β· 35%White Beans Β· 20%Broccoli Β· 11%
Calcium393.95mg
39%
Top contributors
Soy Milk Β· 37%White Beans Β· 23%Broccoli Β· 16%

Nutrients food alone won't reliably cover

These three are commonly under-consumed across all diets, not just plant-based ones - the difference is mainly B12, which has no whole plant food source at all.

  • Vitamin B12: is absent from whole plant foods entirely - the number above only reflects fortified ingredients (nutritional yeast, fortified soy milk). A reliable B12 supplement or fortified source is the standard recommendation for a fully plant-based diet, regardless of what any single day's total shows.
  • Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): most people fall short here regardless of diet - the typical omnivore diet doesn't include much oily fish either. This app only tracks ALA, the plant form (flax, walnuts, hemp, chia). The body converts some ALA to EPA and very little to DHA - the forms most directly used by the brain, eyes and heart - and that conversion is inefficient. An algae-oil supplement is the usual plant-based way to get EPA/DHA directly; it won't show up as an ingredient in any recipe here.
  • Vitamin D: deficiency is widespread across all diets, not just plant-based ones - it's mostly absent from whole plant foods here, and even the fortified soy milk and yogurt tracked don't cover the full target from food alone. Reasonable sun exposure or a D2/D3 supplement is the standard recommendation.

Not medical advice - if you're eating fully plant-based long-term, it's worth a conversation with a GP or dietitian, and a blood test is the reliable way to check where you actually stand.

See the full supplement guide (incl. creatine) β†’
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