Step 1

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Step 2

In a large pot, bring pasta water to a boil with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain, but do not rinse the noodles.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make your sauce. Place all the sauce ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth.

Step 4

Pour the cooked macaroni into a 9" x 9" baking dish. Add all the sauce and vegan cheddar style shreds (if using) and stir to coat all the noodles. It will seem a bit liquidy, but the arrowroot flour will thicken everything in the oven.

Step 5

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Step 6

Mix the bread crumbs with the dried herbs and vegan parmesan in a bowl and set aside.

Step 7

When the mac and cheese has baked for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven. Uncover it and add the bread crumb mixture evenly on top and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until the inside is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Step 8

Bake time may vary based on your oven. I used to do this in an old oven that got very hot, so I had to reduce the bake time and add the bread crumbs immediately upon the first bake to prevent over baking. Watch that it doesn't get too crispy around the edges before you've added the topping.