Equipment
Ingredients
Walnut & Mushroom Sausages
- 100 g walnuts, toasted
- 200 g cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 120 g vital wheat gluten
- 100 ml vegetable broth, cold
- 30 ml soy sauce
- 5 g smoked paprika
- 3 g garlic powder
Pasta
- 400 g elbow macaroni
- 15 g salt
Mustard Mornay Sauce
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 600 ml whole milk, warmed
- 150 g sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 100 g gruyere cheese, freshly grated
- 30 g dijon mustard
- 15 g whole grain mustard
Assembly & Topping
- 15 ml olive oil
- 50 g panko breadcrumbs
- 20 g unsalted butter, melted
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 850 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbohydrates
- 76 g
- Fat
- 42 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 1773 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 18 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 10 g
- Cholesterol
- 53 mg
- Potassium
- 648 mg
- Calcium
- 554 mg
- Iron
- 5.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 108 mg
- Phosphorus
- 629 mg
- Zinc
- 4.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 261 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.8 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.86 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.74 mg
- Niacin
- 7.3 mg
- Folate
- 203 mcg
- Water
- 163 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Pulse the toasted walnuts and cremini mushrooms in a food processor until finely minced but not pureed, retaining some texture.
Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl. Add vital wheat gluten, cold vegetable broth, soy sauce, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Knead the mixture vigorously until a tough, elastic dough forms.
Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll each portion tightly in aluminum foil, twisting the ends securely to shape them into hotdog links.
Place the foil-wrapped sausages in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam to set the gluten matrix, then remove and let cool slightly before unwrapping.
While sausages steam, boil the elbow macaroni in generously salted water until just shy of al dente. Drain well and set aside.
Melt 50g of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook to form a pale blonde roux, ensuring the raw flour flavor is cooked out.
Gradually whisk the warm whole milk into the roux to prevent lumps. Simmer gently until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Remove the saucepan from the heat completely. Stir in the grated cheddar, Gruyere, Dijon mustard, and whole grain mustard until perfectly melted and smooth.
Unwrap the cooled sausages and slice them into thick coin shapes. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the slices until deeply browned on both sides.
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Gently fold the cooked macaroni and the seared sausage coins into the mustard cheese sauce. Transfer the entire mixture to a baking dish.
Toss the panko breadcrumbs with 20g of melted butter. Scatter evenly over the macaroni and bake at 190°C/375°F until the edges are bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Chef's Notes
- Vital wheat gluten relies on aggressive kneading to mimic the snappy casing and firm interior of a traditional hotdog. Do not be gentle with the dough.
- Mustard loses its sharp, volatile pungency when boiled. Adding the mustard off the heat alongside the cheese preserves its signature bite.
- Toasting walnuts before blending is crucial; it releases their natural oils and transforms their flavor from astringent to deeply savory, bridging the gap between the mushrooms and the cheese.
- If your mushrooms hold a lot of water, consider sweating them in a dry pan before pulsing to concentrate their umami flavor and prevent a wet sausage dough.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The sauce will thicken significantly when cold.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze in individual portions. Breadcrumb topping will lose its crispness upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat in the oven at 175C with a splash of milk to rehydrate the sauce, or microwave in short bursts.
Troubleshooting
Cheese sauce breaks and becomes grainy
Cause: The cheese was added while the sauce was still boiling, or pre-shredded cheese coated in anti-caking agents was used.
Fix: Whisk vigorously off the heat with a splash of cold milk to lower the temperature and encourage the emulsion to re-form.
Prevention: Always remove the sauce from the heat completely before adding cheese, and use freshly grated blocks of cheese.
Vegetarian sausages are mushy instead of snappy
Cause: The vital wheat gluten was not kneaded long enough to develop the necessary protein structure.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once steamed, but searing the slices longer will add necessary texture.
Prevention: Knead the dough for a full 5 minutes until it feels actively resistant and rubbery.
Cultural Context
Macaroni and cheese has deep historical roots in both European Mornay traditions and African American culinary history, heavily popularized in the United States by James Hemings. This variation introduces a modern, plant-forward approach by utilizing vital wheat gluten—a technique developed by Buddhist monks centuries ago to create meat alternatives—while maintaining the dish's fundamental identity as ultimate comfort food.
