There was a time when I loved Kraft Dinner. Maybe it's the inner Canadian but I ate it maybe three or four times a week, cheap and tasty.... but as I got older and started to learn how to cook, I soon became to believe that you should be able to pronounce the names of the foods that you eat. So I made my own Mac-n-Cheese, it wasn't hard but on occasion I did miss the ease and simplicity of Kraft Dinner, there was something gross yet satisfying when eating that neon yellow pasta. Fast forward a decade or two and cheese that I used to love, no longer loves me and just like that Mac-n-Cheese is off the menu. Or so I thought.
Cue Terra Vegane, a Berlin based vegan manufacturer (one of my favorites) who has two vegan version of Mac-n-Cheese, one being the Mac-Classic and the other being the Mac-Alfredo. Excitement and interest levels peaked, I grab a package of each from Denn's BioMart and rush home to test them out. My astronomical exception level aside, I really want to know how good a vegan Mac-n-Cheese can be.
One of the first things that amazed me is the ingredient list, it would have been easier and cheaper (look at Kraft) to just use a variety of chemicals to make a vegan product that is more or less the equivalent of the popular North American pasta dish. However Terra Vegane went a different direction, an all organic and clear list of ingredients that are not only clean but free from natural flavor and coloring. The directions are clear as well, though a weight measurement for margarine was a bit funny, if you cook the product it's 1 tbsp for the Alfredo and a little less then 1 tbsp for the Classic.
Next is the ease of cooking it. It comes with the pasta and the spice mix. Cook the pasta which takes about 6-8 minutes, drain and put back into the pot add the margarine and "milk", then add the spice mix, stir and place on the heat for another 1-2 to thicken up the sauce.
(In English on the box it says to use Soy milk but in German it says use any plant milk - I used Hafer or Oat Milk and it worked great)
And that really is it.
Overall, I loved both of the products for different reasons.
I found that the Mac-Classic was amazingly creamy and even looked the part, it had hints of "cheese" flavor and an unmistakable creaminess that brings so much joy and happiness to my world.
The Mac-Alfredo was creamy, not as creamy as the Mac-Classic but it doesn't want to be either but was loaded with a more fantastic and distinctive flavor.
If you loved Mac-n-Cheese like I did as a kid or just want a convince food that isn't pasta was veggie tomato sauce, this is a perfect alternative, in fact even if you didn't like Mac-n-Cheese and don't normally like convince foods, give these a try.
