Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- large rimmed skillet
- sauce pan or small stock pot
- baking dish (glass or ceramic) 9x13 or 10.5x7.5
- food processor (optional)
Ingredients
Buffalo Cauliflower
- 16 oz / 1lb bag of organic frozen cauliflower florets
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon each of; garlic granules, salt, & pepper
- ⅓ cup vegan buffalo sauce (I used Primal Kitchen No Dairy)
Mac and Cheese
- 1 box / 8 oz gluten-free pasta of choice (see blog post for recommendations)
- ½ heaping cup vegan parmesan cheese (or swap for your favorite vegan cheese) (for extra cheesy mac and cheese, use up to 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter (I used Miyoko's)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼-½ teaspoon garlic granules (use more if you love garlic)
- ¼ cup hemp hearts
Toppings
- ¼ cup crushed crackers (or sub with breadcrumbs)
- a few additional sprinkles of cheese
- additional buffalo sauce, scallions, chives, and/or fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Grease a baking dish (9x13 or 10.5x7.5) with just a tiny bit of avocado oil and set aside.
- Cook cauliflower: Warm a skillet (I used a rimmed cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Add a bag of frozen cauliflower and a splash of water (roughly 1 tablespoon). Cover and let steam for 5-7 minutes or until cauliflower is slightly tender. Remove cover and add oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Leave uncovered and stir occasionally, allowing the cauliflower to sear on all sides. Once seared (5-6 minutes), remove from heat and coat in buffalo sauce. Set aside.
- Cook pasta al dente: while the cauliflower is steaming, add water to a sauce pan & bring to a boil. Add pasta once boiling and cook for 5-6 minutes. Important: do not cook pasta fully, as it will continue to cook in the oven!
- Preheat oven & prepare toppings: preheat oven to 400° F after you add the pasta to the boiling water. While the pasta cooks, add crackers to a food processor (if making homemade breadcrumbs) and chop scallions and cilantro (optional).
- Make mac and cheese: drain and rinse pasta. Place back into the sauce pan and reduce heat to low. Add butter, cheese, pepper, garlic, and hemp seeds. Stir to combine, until cheese and butter have melted then remove from heat. If the cheese and butter aren't melting, cover for a minute or two (on low heat) and stir again.
- Combine & bake: add the buffalo cauliflower to the mac and cheese, then add to the greased baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and additional cheese. Additionally feel free to add fresh chopped herbs, an additional drizzle of buffalo sauce, or more hemp seeds. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and breadcrumbs are golden. Feel free to broil for 3-4 minutes with the oven door ajar for additional crispness!
Notes
Fresh cauliflower florets also work, just skip the steaming and add fresh florets directly to a warm skillet and coat with avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Follow the rest of the instructions as written.