Vegan Mac and Cheese with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Lately, I have seen a lot of creamy cauliflower sauces for pasta, and I thought, hey I always wanted to make a vegan Mac and Cheese, so why not try it with cauliflower?

Luckily, I had the right pasta. I have a habit of wanting to make something but not having one of the ingredients. For the pasta, you can use brown rice or any gluten-free version that you can find in the market. Since I used brown rice pasta, I think those need to be cooked slightly longer as the brown rice pasta tends to be hard for a while.

For me this tasted quite nice, especially considering that it was mainly cauliflower, and not cashew, which usually makes great creamy stuff. But minds you, it may not be as “cheesy” as some like it, that’s why I had the option of adding little vegan mozzarella shreds. Those will give it extra cheese flavor.

Vegan Mac and Cheese with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 1 packet brown rice or regular elbow pasta
Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • A small sprinkle sea salt
  • 4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 small cauliflower head)
  • 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ teaspoon Himalayan/sea salt
  • A small handful vegan mozzarella cheese (I used Trader Joe’s shredded mozzarella, soy free), optional
  • A few generous sprinkles ground pepper
  • A small handful parsley
Instructions
  1. Chop the onions into thin, small slices and dice the garlic. Put it in a saucepan with a tablespoon of extra light olive oil and a sprinkle of Himalayan/sea salt.
  2. Let the onions cook for about 13 minutes, be sure to stir constantly so the bottom doesn’t burn.
  3. Meanwhile, pull or chop the cauliflower into very small florets and place it in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the cauliflowers. Bring it to a boil and let it keep boiling for a total of 10 minutes (including the time it takes to boil).
  4. Once the cauliflower is boiled, use a strainer and drain out all the water, then put the cauliflower into the frying pan with the onions and let it cook for about 3 minutes.
  5. Then, add all the things in the frying pan into the blender and blend until it’s completely smooth.
  6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
  7. Pour the cauliflower sauce back into the frying pan, add the almond milk, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, olive oil, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Stir and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes until it’s nice and thick.
  8. Once the pasta is done, drain it and add it into the mixture and stir. Then, add the small handful of vegan mozzarella cheese (if using) and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes, continuously stirring.
  9. Pour it out, add a little more pepper on top if desired, and serve with sliced parsley (optional).

Susanna

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