Vegan Mac N' Cheese Soup

0 First, make the cashew cheese sauce. After you soak the cashews, drain them. Add the drained cashews to a blender along with the rest of the cashew cheese sauce ingredients. Blend, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed until the sauce is completely smooth. Set aside.
1 Next, in a large soup pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium high. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes to soften the garlic.
2 Then, add the 6 cups of vegetable broth, Dijon mustard and the cashew cheese sauce you made. Stir to combine.
3 Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
4 Now, add your macaroni, use 1 cup if you want it to be more brothy and less noodley and 1 ½ cups if you want a thicker soup.
5 Simmer the soup, stirring frequently until the macaroni is done. Check your macaroni package for directions. It should be about 6-9 minutes.
6 While your soup is simmering, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet on medium low.
7 Add the panko and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine and coat with olive oil. Stir frequently, toasting the bread crumbs until they are brown. About 2-4 minutes.
8 When the macaroni is cooked through, taste and adjust seasonings.
9 Serve immediately with toasted panko on top!