Vegan Cheese and Parsley Baked Cauliflower is simply an outstanding casserole dish! This rich and cheesy casserole is made with goodness of nuts, herbs and vegetables. Its healthy yet scrumptious and a crowd pleaser.
This casserole recipe is loved by my family especially my extended family.
Usually when it comes to cauliflower there is a general skeptical attitude towards this healthy vegetable. Therefore, I am thrilled to have come up with such delicious cauliflower casserole recipe that everyone in my home just loves it. The best part of this recipe is that they could not figure out the cauliflower as the main ingredient.
The taste of this vegetable is absolutely camouflaged in a way that even kids can love this dish. In return moms can be happy to feed some healthy veggies to the children.
All in all this is a family recipe. Just enjoy it with some grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes or some quinoa. Just sprinkle some crushed chili flakes according to taste and devour every bite of Vegan Cheese and Parsley Baked Cauliflower.
Parsley has a strong aroma and flavor. I am not a big fan of this herb. However I know it has immense nutritional value. But in this recipe I couldnβt taste it as strong and I just loved it.
Finally, I can now enjoy Parsley. I am super happy that I found a way to cook fresh parsley that we can all like it.
How to cook Vegan Cheese and Parsley Baked Cauliflower
- For this, I first boiled some raw cashew nuts. The purpose here was to quickly soften the nuts. Then in a food processor I decided to grind the cheese sauce ingredients into a smooth and creamy paste. This cheese sauce smelled so delicious that it was hard to keep myself away from licking it now and then.
- Well, I controlled myself and combined cauliflower florets, fresh Italian parsley and some salt in a bowl and mixed gently.
- Then, I added very little water to it and microwaved for few seconds. The purpose was to soften the cauliflower and remove the raw taste of it.
- Thereafter, I arranged the cauliflower florets in the baking pan and poured the cheese sauce over it.
- Lastly, topped it with some more fresh parsley and baked it in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.
- Feel free to garnish with more fresh parsley after baking. We aren’t fond of the strong taste of raw parsley so I preferred to cook parsley and served it as is.
Faqs
- This casserole tastes best when served immediately.
- However, refrigerate the leftovers in an air tight glass container for 2-3 days.
- You may re-bake it in the oven or microwave it.
I can guarantee that Vegan Cheese and Parsley Baked cauliflower will definitely win your hearts.
If you get a chance to make this recipe then please leave your feedback in the comments below and do not forget to rate this recipe. Also, you may tag @kiipfit on Instagram and I will definitely shout it out there. I love to see what you cook in your kitchen.
Vegan Cheese and Parsley Baked Cauliflower
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
For the cheese sauce
- 2 cups raw cashew nuts
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried garlic
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup water
For cauliflower
- 2 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup water
For garnishing
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parley
Instructions
- Heat water in a saucepan and boil raw cashew nuts until few boils. Turn it off. Drain and let it cool.
- In a blender or a food processor combine all the ingredients of cheese sauce and grind until a thick creamy smooth paste is formed. Keep it aside.
- Preheat oven at 400 degree Fahrenheit and prepare a square or a rectangle baking pan by greasing it well.
- In a large mixing bowl combine cauliflower florets, fresh parsley, salt and ΒΌ cup water. Mix and microwave for couple of minutes to give it a steam effect.
- Pour the steamed cauliflower in the baking pan. Pour the cheese sauce over it evenly.
- Top it with 1 tbsp. fresh parsley and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 35 -40 minutes or until it starts browning. Turn off the oven and let it stand for couple of minutes.
- Take it out and serve warm with mashed potato and some grilled asparagus. This goes well as a side with quinoa as well.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Renu says
I am loving the flavours in this, with cauliflower and vegan cheese from cashews . So healthy and filling
Mirlene says
I almost always make a casserole when I want to use cauliflower. These two were created for each other and never fail me. Really excited to try your recipe – I am sure it is a hit!
Mikayla says
It’s funny, I feed my son cauliflower because I know its healthy, but I usually avoid it! But this looks SO good, I really love that I can make something both he and I will enjoy together!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
This looks so cheesy, I almost can’t believe it’s vegan!!
Also, I love that you wrote what you usually pair it with. I was just about to ask!!
Erika says
This is such a great idea. I’ve never tried vegan cheese, but the dish looks great.
Stine Mari says
It’s amazing how you can ‘trick’ kids into eating healthy food! Cauliflower is in season here now, so this is just a perfect recipe for me.
Emily says
I’m so amazed by how delicious vegan cheese is these days, what a great casserole!
Jacqui Debono says
I haven’t had baked cauliflower in so long, must try this! And added bonus that it’s meat-free!
Kelly Anthony says
I love when I can hide a vegetable in a dish without anyone noticing. I can’t wait to make this baked cauliflower for my family because we all need more veggies in our lives.
Gunjan says
Totally Kelly. That’s one reason I came up with this recipe. My kids ate cauliflower without even noticing it. Hope you enjoy this dish.
Shaylyn Rae says
This looks so delicious and healthy!! Can’t wait to try!
Martha says
I just finished baking this recipe, and it tastes amazing! It is seriously yummy. The sauce is not liquidy after baking. It is more firm when you cut into the cauliflower, a nice texture. The flavor is to die for. β€ The only thing I would change about the recipe is I would find it helpful to have more specificity about timing and pan size. I would like to know if it’s best cooked in an 8in square pan, a 9in square pan, or a 9 x 13in rectangular pan. I used to 9in round pan just because I couldn’t find my square one. Also when you direct microwaving “a couple minutes”, it would be easier to follow if you offered a very specific time, i. e., two minutes, three minutes, five minutes, etc. I don’t do tons of cooking, so the more specific the information and directions are, the more helpful it is to me. Finally, I would like to know if you think you could use broccoli instead of cauliflower, because I think that would taste amazing, too. And if you wanted to make the cheese sauce more liquidy than custardy, would you just increase the amount of water and by how much. Thanks again for such a great recipe. The next time I get together with all my non-vegan friends, I’m going to wow them when I serve this as a side dish, and ask them what kind of cheese sauce they think it is. π
Gunjan says
Thank you Martha for trying out my recipe and hat you like it so much. I definitely appreciate your feedback. To steam cauliflower start microwaving at 2 minutes or if required go up to 3 minutes. Cauliflower should be just soft enough but not too much cooked. I used a rectangular pan 8*6*2 inches for the mentioned measurements. To make the cheese sauce more liquidy i would suggest to play around a bit by adjusting water as per your desired consistency. remember cauliflower also has little water when steaming. My family loves it in a custard texture but to be specific add 1/2 cup water more tot he cheese and see if you like the consistency, then increase water as per your requirement. You may definitely try it with broccoli if you love that beautiful vegetable. I have not yet tried it myself so I would look forward for your feedback on that. Hope this helps. Thank you once again for visiting my blog and making my recipe in your kitchen.
Nava K says
Outstanding. I must agree. I love such a dish, though in my house, its all about Asian Malaysian food.
Melissa Chee says
This looks delicious!!!
Chelsea Pearl says
I’m always looking for new ways to remix cauliflower and this dish looks seriously delicious!
corinne says
this looks absolutely delicious, I can’t wait to try tout for my family! we love anything with cauliflower in it π or cheese. I think I will surprise them with the fact that it’s vegan, too.
Gunjan says
We love cauliflower too. I hope you enjoy this casserole dish as much as we did.
Willow says
I am drooling on my computer! This sounds so good! I am a huge fan of cauliflower.
Gunjan says
Thank you π
Lauren says
This looks awesome! I am trying to cut out dairy for a month to see how it makes me feel and I am really missing cheese, so this is one I will have to try! Pinned π
Carolyn says
I’ve been looking for a recipe just like this! Definitely bookmarking. I know my family would love this! I’m a vegetarian, so this could easily be my dinner. π
Nicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated says
OMG – this looks so good. Can’t believe it’s vegan!
Gunjan says
Yes, its vegan π
Lauren @ Delicious Little Bites says
Ohhh I am going to try this ASAP! I love cauliflower and eat it like 3 times a week easy! I haven’t been a big fan of vegan cheese BUT I love cashews and actually like nutritional yeast so I think I might love this version!
Gunjan says
Let me know how it turned out for you.