This Mac 'n Cheese recipe is completely vegan and nut-free! I typically go for my cashew Mac 'n Cheese recipe, but this is just as good (maybe even better) and cheaper- because we all know cashews aren't cheap! I came up with this recipe because, well, we had a cauliflower in the fridge and I wanted to experiment with it for a cheese sauce base. And guess what, it worked wonderfully!
This recipe is also great with added vegetables! I've tried anything as far as spinach (pictured), broccoli, and asparagus. When using spinach, I simply add fresh spinach to my hot bowl of Mac 'n cheese, and combine well until the spinach has wilted. When using broccoli and asparagus, you can add this straight to your pot of boiling noddles. Broccoli will cook in 2-3 minutes, while asparagus takes 5-6 minutes to cook.
CAULIFLOWER MAC N CHEESE
Prep Time 25 min. Cook Time 10 min. Serves 3.
· 8 oz of your favorite pasta (elbows or shells are great!)
· 1 medium cauliflower head
· 1-2 cups water
· 1 cup almond milk (or preferred plant based milk)
· 1 lemon, juiced (or about 2-3 tspn apple cider vinegar)
· ½ cup nutritional yeast
· 4 Tbsp arrowroot flour (or tapioca flour)
· 1 tspn onion powder
· 1 tspn garlic powder
· ½ tspn salt
· ¼ tspn black pepper
· ¼ tspn turmeric (optional for color)
*OPTIONAL: Add vegetables such as spinach (pictured) or broccoli. Add fresh chopped spinach when serving and thoroughly mix into mac n cheese, or add chopped broccoli to pasta in the last 2-3 minutes of boiling.
1. Roughly chop cauliflower into chunks, discarding core. Add chunks to a pot with about 1-2 cups of water, and turn to medium heat. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender when poked with a fork.
2. While cauliflower is cooking, start your pasta by boiling water and cook according to package directions. When finished set pasta aside.
3. Drain cauliflower and place into a blender, then set pot aside. Add all remaining ingredients (almond milk, lemon, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper) and blend until the mixture becomes a smooth, mildly thick sauce. If using a large head of cauliflower head, you may need to add ¼-½ cup extra milk or water to thin.
4. Add sauce back to the original pot, and add remaining ingredients. Turn heat to medium-high, whisking consistently. When mixture reaches a low bowl, turn dow to a medium-low and continue whisking for an additional 1-2 minutes or until it resembles a thick, somewhat stretchy, and gooey cheese sauce.
6. Pour over your cooked pasta and enjoy!
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of almond milk.
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