I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Like to the point that I would eat one everyday if I thought I could get away with it. Especially dipped in homemade tomato soup! But heres the thing, I almost always burn them.
I cook all day, I cook for a blog, I can make cheese from a coconut, and roast “beef” from a jackfruit….but for some reason, I can not cook a grilled cheese without burning the bread before the cheese has melted. I feel like it is a test in patience that I ALWASY fail.
When making a grilled cheese I also want it to be a super gooey, oozing out the sides of the bread, stretchy, extra cheesy, grilled cheese. So imagine me waiting for all of that cheese to melt with my lack of patience and tendency to burn the bread.
SO, enter the most magical, extra gooey, oozy, extra cheesy, cheese sauce that makes the most perfect grilled cheese with like zero risk of burning the bread! This smoky perfect cheese is already melty, gooey perfection when you add it to the bread! My world has been changed, and no more crispy blackened grilled cheese will find their way to the trash, ever again!
Ok, that’s probably a lie, because I am sure I could still find a way to burn a sandwich (look over there, something shiny, oh crap, I did it again) but the odds are far less. I also wanted a perfect smoky vegan gouda for my sandwich so I married the flavors from our sliceable coconut gouda, with our all purpose cheese sauce to make this gooey smoky gouda cheese! I could probably just eat it with a spoon and be just as happy, but bread is my love language, so bring on the sandwiches and soup!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted cashews
2 cups water
1/4 cup Sauerkraut (not the juice, just the cabbage)
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons tapioca or corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons light miso paste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place cashews in a microwave safe container and cover in water (this water is separate from that listed in the ingredients) Microwave for 3 minutes. Drain water and rinse. If you do not have a microwave, you can boil them in a pot of water for 5 minutes or you can soak them for a few hours in hot water.
Add drained cashews and remaining ingredients, including 2 cups of water, to a high speed blender and process until the mixture is totally and completely smooth. This may take a minute or two of blending.
Transfer mixture to a medium sized pot over medium heat. Heat the mixture, stirring continuously with a whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. You want the cheese sauce to become the consistency of peanut butter. It will be pretty thick and stretchy the longer you cook it.
Let the cheese sauce cool completely. It will thicken more as it cools and be pretty gooey. Once the sauce has cooled, spread a desired amount on some bread. I like to spread butter on the outside of both slices of bread before placing in the pan. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and cook the sandwich on each side until golden brown and crispy.
You can add vegan bacon, avocado, tomato, just about anything you like to your grilled cheese.
Store leftover cheese in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
If you like this recipe, try these:
