Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Casserole
This Creamy Vegan Cauliflower is perfect for anyone who's eating low-carb, and it is soy-free and can be gluten-free and nut-free. The cauliflower in the casserole bakes up creamy and soft and is nestled in lashings of a delicious and cheezy white sauce flavored with thyme and nutmeg.
Servings: 8
Calories: 162kcal
Equipment
- Large pot for blanching cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower (about 1.5 pounds before trimming. Cut into medium-size florets)
- 1 cup raw cashews (or cashew pieces)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon thyme (or oregano, dry. Use 1 tablespoon if using fresh herbs.)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon parsley (optional, chopped, for garnish)
For breadcrumb topping
- 2 tablespoon breadcrumbs (optional if you want to keep the carbs low. You can also use gluten-free breadcrumbs for a gf recipe)
- 2 tablespoon vegan cashew parmesan
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the cauliflower florets and let them cook five minutes. Drain immediately and pat the florets dry, or spread them on a baking sheet and let them air-dry for a few minutes.
- Blend the cashews with garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, ground black pepper and vegetable stock or water. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Add the tapioca starch and stir until it darkens a bit. This is your roux which will help thicken the sauce.
- Stir in the blended cashew cream. Stir quickly as you add the cream because the tapioca will cause it to lump up. If lumps do form, just break them with the ladle.
- When the cashew cream boils add the thyme or oregano and nutmeg. Let the cream reduce and thicken, about five minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Coat a baking dish with cooking spray or oil. Place the cauliflower florets in the dish evenly. Then pour the white sauce all over it.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and let it bake 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the optional breadcrumb topping, if using, by mixing the breadcrumbs, vegan parm, oil and ground pepper and salt.
- After the cauliflower has baked 20 minutes, remove it from the oven and sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over it. Return to the oven and bake 10 more minutes or until the topping is golden and crunchy.If you aren't using the topping, just let the cauliflower bake 10 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes. If using parsley, sprinkle it on before serving.
Notes
- If you want a higher fat content in your casserole, increase the amount of olive oil you cook the roux in to 2 and even 3 tablespoons.
- Conversely, if you want a lower fat content, use just 1 teaspoon of oil for the roux. You can also use a non-dairy milk instead of the cashew cream--add the remaining ingredients including the onion and garlic powders and yeast to the milk. Increase the amount of tapioca flour to four teaspoons. Skip the vegetable stock or water. Keep in mind that more flour will increase the amount of carbs in your casserole.
- To make this recipe nut-free, use any nondairy nut-free milk instead of the cashew cream and, like I mentioned above, skip the stock or water. Add the onion and garlic powders, nutritional yeast and other sauce ingredients to the milk and increase tapioca flour to four teaspoons to better thicken the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg