Vegan Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
This homemade vegan baked mac and cheese is outrageously DELISH! Featuring a vegan cheddar sauce made from scratch, pieces of cauliflower and a crunchy panko topping. Plus, it hides a good load of healthy veggies! Such a keeper, both kids and adults will love it!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 601kcal
Equipment
- Blender
- Large pot
- Medium pot
- Large baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups raw cashews
- 4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 small head)
- 1 large carrot peeled and roughly chopped (for color)
- 1 medium size potato peeled and sliced in quarters
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar lemon juice works too
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 ½-2 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 cups plant-based milk plain and unsweetened
- 16 oz macaroni noodles cooked al dente
Crispy topping
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup regular breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in boiling water for about 10-15 min. Then, drain and set aside. Also, cook your noodles al dente and pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.
- Transfer the cauliflower florets to a large pot alongside the carrots and potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Keep simmering for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Then, drain well.
- OPTIONAL: Using a fork or tong, carefully remove about 2 cups of cooked cauliflower from the vegetable mix. Set aside (they will be combined within the sauce later).
- Transfer the drained cashews and remaining vegetable mix to a blender alongside the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, clove of garlic, salt and milk. Blend on high until smooth and uniform. Adjust salt to your taste.
- Combine the al dente noodles with the 2 cups of cauliflower florets that you set aside (if you did, optional) and pour the vegan cauliflower cheese sauce over. Stir to combine and transfer to a large baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the crispy topping ingredients and distribute over the whole dish.
- Bake for 25-30 min or until golden brown. You can also bake a few minutes on broil at the end (watch closely). Let the vegan mac and cheese sit for about 10 minutes before eating, enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storage: the dish is saucier when freshly baked as the noodles keep soaking on the sauce while resting. Keep leftovers in the fridge covered for up to 4 days and reheat using the microwave or the oven.
- Be sure not to overcook the noodles and keep them al dente, even slightly undercooked. They will keep cooking in the oven!
-
- Make sure to taste and add more salt to enhance the cheesy flavor of the dish.
- When preparing the cauliflower, keep the florets large enough so they are easy to grab when setting the 2 cups aside. You can then chop them smaller in bite-size as needed.
- Feel free to add more spices such as smoked paprika, cayenne peppers, more veggies such as steamed broccoli or peas or even diced jalapeño or canned green chiles. You might want to use less noodles if adding lots of veggies (to keep the dish as saucy).
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Nutrition
Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 953mg | Potassium: 926mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1863IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 5mg