Vegan Cheesy Mac & Cauliflower Casserole

Posted on Feb 25, 2011 in Vegan Dinner, Vegan Recipes | 1 comment

Cauliflower has been in abundance the past few months at my local Farmer’s Market, so I’ve been experimenting with different ways of cooking it. I’ve been very lax in posting these meals, but this one was so good that I felt compelled to share it! The idea first came to me while perusing a Jamie Oliver cookbook a friend gave me for my birthday. Obviously, his recipe was not vegan, so I had to make some substitutions. Luckily, I had recently dabbled with vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese, so I was prepared! Additionally, I took a peek online to see what other folks did with cauliflower and macaroni, and I came across the idea of adding a bread crumb topping and baking it in a casserole dish. YUM!

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower (cut into small florets)
• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 2 cups Daiya cheese (I used “cheddar” flavor)
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or substitute soy, rice, or other vegan milk)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/8 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp Spike Seasoning
• Pepper to taste

Breaded Topping Ingredients:

• 3 slices old bread (heels are great for this!)
• 1/8 cup fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp Parma! (or substitute plain nutritional yeast)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Spike Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper

Directions:

1. Boil large pot of water and preheat over to 300 degrees.
2. Add cauliflower florets and macaroni to boiling water and cook according to package time. While boiling pasta, you can get the “cheese” sauce and breaded topping started:
3. Chop parsley in food processor.
4. Add bread and pulse to create crumbs.
5. Add Parma, seasonings, and olive oil then pulse to blend. Set aside for later.
6. Drain mac and cauliflower once soft (should be just after finishing bread crumbs)
7. While the mac  is chillin’ in the colander, go ahead and start the cheese sauce in the same large pot:
8. Add margarine, milk, and cheese to large pot over a medium low heat.
9. Blend in seasonings, parsley, and nutritional yeast.
10. Once mixture is smooth and creamy, add mac and cauliflower, then stir to coat evenly.
11. Place completed mixture into a glass casserole dish and top with bread crumbs.
12. Bake in oven 15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are lightly toasted.

Vegan Cheesy Mac & Cauliflower Cassarole