Creamy Cauliflower and Red Pepper Casserole
nonstick spray
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance)
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups nondairy milk (I use soy)
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray roasting pan or 9 x 13" baking dish with nonstick spray. Arrange cauliflower and red pepper in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat in heavy saucepan. Add flour and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, whisking constantly over medium low heat until thickened.
3. Add mustard, garlic, onion and nutritional yeast. Add vegetable broth, just until sauce is thinned enough that it is makes a nice creamy sauce. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray.
4. Add vegetables. Pour sauce over vegetables and stir until coated. Add breadcrumbs on top and bake for about 30 minutes, until top is browned. (I used a broiler for a few minutes at the end)
Source of recipe: I really wanted a creamy recipe that included cauliflower and after finding nothing that suited my craving, I made it up. I am sure I will modify this in the future, but it was delicious and I will probably use the sauce for a macaroni and cheese in the future.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I really liked this recipe, I LOVE cauliflower - so I was excited about this.... but, I made a few changes:
- I added red potato, carrot, broccoli and garbanzo beans. And I steamed the veggies instead of roasting... which was fine, but I might try the roasting sometime.
- I sauteed up some diced onion and fresh minced garlic (5 cloves!) in the oil/earth balance before adding the flour - in place of the onion powder & garlic powder - which I think was a great idea made by voircestcroire.
- I used coconut milk and added some black pepper, salt, dried basil flakes, a TBSP more of Nut. yeast and about 1tsp braggs amino acids- since a few said it was bland. I found it flavorful!
- Lastly, I mixed in some fresh spinach before baking, and I served it over some bow tie pasta - not a lot of pasta - more of the creamy veggies than pasta.
I would definitely make this again. It's super good! ;)b
I also found this recipe a bit bland. It needs more salt and Mrs. Dash! I added crumbled firm tofu for protein. All in all, not a bad recipe to make variations by adding different veggies.
This came out really good, although I did not have NE I did use vegan herb gravy mix. I also added fresh spinach. The only problem I had was the cauliflower was a little to soft for me. I will defiantly keep a closer eye on it the next time I make it. Other then that it was really good : )
This recipe was sooooo yummy. I didn't have dry mustard so I used a combination on dijon and grainy mustard instead which turned out really nice. I also added a little nutmeg and a bunch of white pepper which added a really nice rich complexity. Next time, I think I'll saute some onions and garlic in the butter/oil before I add in the flour, this will be better than the dried onion and garlic powder I think but overall and awesome recipe! Definitely a keeper- my omnivore family loved it!
I liked this recipe but thought it was a bit bland. i put it over rice with some soy sauce and that fixed it up some. It was best with smaller cut peices of cauliflower. I'll likely make it again, and maybe add some mushrooms next time. ::)
Super easy and so tasty! I had some leftover raw cauliflower that I had already cut into bite size pieces so making this recipe was so quick and easy. I used almond milk instead of soy, but followed the recipe exactly otherwise. I might add in some other veggies in the future, but it was great as is. The cauliflower cooked down so it was almost like mac and cheese. Really!
CowFreeMama, thanks for the review! It's nice to see how it turns out for everyone. I love your addition ideas! I agree, it's going to work well as a base for whatever is on hand! I too was licking the spoon! I usually use almond milk but had soymilk on hand. I am wondering if almond milk will be too nutty, so I am going to try coconut milk next time!
Nice one! I could barely wait to eat it and was licking the sauce spoon (and the pot) ::)
I did add some modifications, so your recipe is just a base actually.
I added one large shredded potato (cooked before added), 4 chopped mushrooms and a 2 inch chunk of leek diced.
Also, I used coconut oil, and coconut milk for the sauce (soy is baaaad news for the body!) :P
For the veg broth, I did some extra water and vegan bouillion cube in the sauce mix
Rice flour instead of wheat flour to thicken and do a gluten free version.
YUMMY!!!