Comfort food at it’s best, steaming hot out of the oven. What I also love about oven baked dishes is the ease, they can be prepared upfront and baked when needed. This Vegan Cauliflower Macaroni Bake is kind of a mac & cheese but with more veggies hidden inside. I like to pack in as much as possible. Besides the cauliflower I also added mushrooms and green peas.
The sauce is made from steamed or cooked cauliflower, plant based milk, nutritional yeast for a little cheesiness and flavorings like onion powder, garlic powder and mustard. All blended into this creamy sauce, it is like a thick soup!
If you would like to see how I made it click on the picture below. You can find the complete recipe below this post.
I used a gluten free quinoa macaroni, you can of course use what you like and cook it al dente, two minutes shorter than you would normally do.
I love the ease a dish like this. You can make everything ahead, mix it and set it in the fridge. I have another sauce recipe on the site, the White Bean “cheezy” Dip , this can also be thinned out and used in recipes like this.
I used some gorgeous yellow coarse corn flour on top to create a crunchy layer, you could also add some bread crumbs or even some vegan cheese.
To leave the macaroni creamy and gooey I baked it the first 20 minutes covered with foil. The last 10 minutes I removed the cover to make the top crispy and golden.
I love to eat dishes like this with a huge green salad with a avo or tahini dressing on the side to add some fresh greens to a meal. Another pasta recipe I sometimes make is my vegan Mac & Cheese. I made this version with cashews and white beans, a little bit higher in fat.
This vegan cauliflower macaroni bake is without added fats. It also has a good amount of protein due to the quinoa macaroni and green peas.
To save this recipe you can pin the picture below to your Pinterest board!
Have a lovely day … or evening,
Tina x
Vegan Cauliflower Macaroni Bake
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups steamed or cooked cauliflower
- 1 and 1/2 cups plant based milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp tapioca
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp salt to taste
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 and 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 2 and 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250F / 175C
- Steam or cook the cauliflower until tender. Blend the steamed cauliflower with the milk and flavorings into a smooth sauce.
- Bake the sliced mushrooms in a little water or oil for about 6 minutes until they start to shrink. Add in the green peas and let it cook for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the macaroni al dente according to the directions on the package.
- Mix the cooked macaroni, cauliflower sauce and the mushroom / green peas and scoop it into a baking dish. I added some coarse corn flour on top to make it crunchy. You can also add some [ gluten free ] bread crumbs or vegan cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes covered with foil and ten minutes without cover to get the top crunchy and golden.
