Consider this my healthier, vegan homage to a cheesy broccoli rice casserole.
However, I don’t like the words “casserole” or “hot dish.” Hearing them conjures up images of church basements and mystery potlucks. So, instead, why don’t we call this a bake? Glad you’re on board.
This recipe screams fall and the holidays. Am I jumping the gun on fall-themed dishes? I say no.
Cauliflower and broccoli are in my part of the world at the moment and I’m putting them to good use recreating one of my favorite side dishes.
Anything with broccoli covered in “cheese” (in this case, vegan parmesan – aka gold dust and my go-to mac ‘n’ cheese sauce) is a winner in my book.
This recipe is easy to make, requiring just 10 ingredients and simple methods. Plus, it comes together in just a little more than an hour.
The base is lightly sautéed cauliflower rice and steamed broccoli tossed in vegan parmesan cheese and my super velvety mac ‘n’ cheese sauce.
Then it’s poured into a baking dish, topped with more vegan parm, and baked! A short 30-45 minutes later you have a bubbly, golden brown masterpiece on your hands.
I hope you love this recipe! It’s:
Savory
Cheesy
Comforting
Satisfying
Vegetable-packed
Surprisingly healthy
& Super tasty
This is the perfect side for weeknight meals or to bring along to holiday gatherings. People won’t believe this is dairy- and gluten-free.
Bonus tip! To make this dish entrée-worthy, add in 1 cup cooked chickpeas for even more fiber and protein.
If you try this dish, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Cheesy Cauliflower Rice & Broccoli Bake
Ingredients
VEGETABLES
- 1 medium-large head cauliflower, shredded or grated into “rice”
- 2 cups roughly chopped broccoli
- 1 Tbsp olive, grapeseed or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
- ~1/2 tsp each sea salt + black pepper (to taste)
SAUCE
- 4 Tbsp olive, grape seed, or avocado oil (or vegan butter)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~2.5 Tbsp)
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch (if not gluten free, can sub all purpose flour)
- 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk (can sub rice)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt + black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
MIX-INS optional
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas or quinoa for added protein
- 1 cup chopped curly kale
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and lightly grease a 9×13 inch (or similar size) baking dish (adjust number/size of pan if altering batch size).
- Prepare your cauliflower rice (either with the shredding attachment on your food processor or a box grater). Set aside.
- Lightly steam your broccoli – just until it has a slight bite – either in the microwave in 45-second increments or on the stovetop using a steamer basket in a saucepan with 1-2 inch of water). Place in refrigerator for later.
- Next prepare your sauce. Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and minced garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown, then add arrowroot starch and whisk – cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add almond milk while whisking, then cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. The sauce will likely look a little clumpy – that’s OK! We’re going to blend it.
- Transfer mixture to a blender, along with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), nutritional yeast, and vegan parmesan cheese and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed – you want it pretty well salted + cheesy, so don’t be shy with the nutritional yeast, salt, and vegan parmesan cheese.
- Return sauce back to skillet from earlier and cook over low heat until warmed and slightly thickened – about 2-3 minutes – whisking occasionally. As it warms back up, it will thicken (see photo). For a thicker sauce, leave it as is. To thin slightly, add almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Turn off heat if it starts bubbling too aggressively or gets too thick.
- Heat a separate skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp oil (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and cauliflower rice. Season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Then cover and let cook/steam for 2 minutes. Remove cover, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes more or until slightly softened. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the steamed broccoli to the mixing bowl and season liberally with salt, pepper and half of the vegan parmesan cheese (1/4 cup as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). This step is important to infuse plenty of flavor into the dish. Stir to coat. If adding chickpeas or kale, add at this time (optional).
- Add all of the sauce to the mixture and stir to coat. Then transfer to your greased baking dish and top with another sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and bake at 400 degrees F (190 C) for 5-15 minutes more or until bubbly and slightly golden brown. You are looking for golden brown edges and a bubbly center.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Then serve as is or with a garnish of more vegan parmesan cheese and/or fresh chopped parsley for some color – optional.
- Best when fresh. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F (176 C) until warmed through.
Christie says
My daughter has Lupus so we are avoiding garlic and cooking gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free. I made this dish for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago for my daughter (before we knew her symptoms were caused by Lupus, so I avoid garlic now). Everyone loved the dish. My only challenge was I made it at my sister-in-law’s and there was a lot of prep and steps. I will be making it tomorrow substituting the garlic for shallots. But can I make the cheese sauce the day before and then assemble everything tomorrow?
We’re so glad it’s a hit with the whole family, Christie! Making the sauce ahead should work well. If it thicken too much overnight, you can thin with a little extra almond milk before adding the sauce to the veggies. Hope that helps!
Lyn says
I made this for my daughter and her family. New eats anything, two a
Re basically vegetarian but will eat sone chicken. So I made this and they loved it. I added sone kale from my garden. I maxed the sauce by sautéing the garlic and then. Adding the milk. I then mixed corn flour and water and added to hot milk stirring until thick. I used Parmesan in the milk and when I added it all to the dish I topped with a mixture of Parmesan and tasty Australian cheese. It was a winner. So next I will make it for my other daughter who is vegan. I love your recipes. Well done
Thank you for your kind words and lovely review, Lyn! We’re so glad it was a winner! xo
DARCY c GRANT says
WIFE IS ALLEGIC TO ALMONDS —WOULD COCONUT BE TOO AGGRESIVE OF A SUBSTITUE ????
Hi Darcy, do you mean coconut milk in place of almond milk? If you don’t mind the taste of coconut we think it should work!
DARCY c GRANT says
I just made it—with a couple subs—coconut milk and hemp hearts instead of quinioa —— like a man i read the instructions after putting the sauce ingrediants at once in a bowl—-still cooked it and blended it—-still turned out good—-although i did use a lot more parm WOW it was good wife actually said she was still hungry after other add in ideas ??????
Hi Darcy, we’re glad you enjoyed it overall! We’d suggest using chickpeas to make it more satiating. Hope that helps!
Eden says
I’ve made this before following the recipe exactly and loved it. I made it again last night but was short on time and ingredients so made the following subs:
Omitted vegan parmesan and added extra nutritional yeast
Used cashew milk
Used garbanzo/fava flour-it wasn’t as thick, but tasted fine.
Added some hemp hearts to the sauce for protein
I ended up just making this a saucy skillet meal and the whole fam loved it-esp my 2 year old, so that’s a win!
I love how your recipes are always good even if I have to make some subs!
Wonderful! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Eden! xo
Lindsay says
I used 1 cup of rice instead of cauliflower, added sautéed onion and 1/2 of a jalapeño to the sauce before blending and OMG! I couldn’t stop “sampling” it before even putting it in the oven. This recipe is absolutely delicious and the cheese sauce is pure gold. I can’t to remake it already…I know my guests are going to LOVE it.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lindsay! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Marie says
Delicious and comforting! I added the optional chickpeas and wasn’t shy on the salt or nutritional yeast as instructed. I didn’t have vegan parmesan so I just used extra nutritional yeast and salt. Used an immersion blender in my skillet since I did 1.5X the recipe size. It was awesome, thanks for a nutritious and yummy fall meal!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Marie! Thank you for sharing! xo
Sherri Neil says
Another winner. I did not have have garbanzos, so I used black beans. I was also able to sneak the kale in without my husband even noticing it was in there. Yummy
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Sherri!
Mariane says
I absolutely love this recipe!! I made it twice and will keep on doing it! So good 😊❤️
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Mariane! xo
judy orloff says
Thank you, Megan. I love how responsive you are!
Happy Holidays!
judy says
I just saw today’s post for the broccoli hashbrown casserole. Wondering whether I could sub that cashew cheese sauce for the sauce in this one since I don’t eat potatoes. If yes, would the proportions be th same with just a swapping of the sauce? Thanks so much for your creative, delicious recipes.
It should work, but if memory serves me right this recipe yields slightly more sauce! So reduce quantity slightly if using for the newer recipe you’re referring to.