Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
This Paleo Mac & Cheese is filled with oven roasted bites of cauliflower that are baked until tender and then coated in a creamy dairy free cheesy sauce. This Vegan and Whole30 spin on Mac and Cheese is perfect for those times when you are craving something comforting but want to be healthy. It’s Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Whole30 and Keto.
I grew up eating KD aka Kraft Dinner (Macaroni and Cheese in a box) and I’m embarrassed to admit that I still crave it from time to time. Even as a child when I knew very little about nutrition, it was obvious that with an expiry date 10 years away and powdered cheese that looked radioactive in colour, it was not healthy…at all.
I decided to take on the challenge of making Macaroni and Cheese not only healthy, but also grain and dairy free.
I have to admit, I am so happy with this recipe. Not only does this dish look and taste like mac and cheese, but it’s made completely with vegetables!
I turned to my two favourite miracle vegetables, butternut squash and cauliflower, to create the noodles and sauce in this recipe. I swear that they are the superheroes of healthy eating and can transform into just about anything.
In this recipe, I used small florets of cauliflower in place of pasta. By quickly baking them in the oven the bite sized florets have a delicious roasted flavour, but are still al dente, like traditional pasta would be. If you prefer to steam the cauliflower, I would recommend only cooking the florets for a maximum of 5 minutes, so they don’t become mushy.
My favourite part of this paleo Mac & Cheese is the sauce, it’s so smooth and creamy. The butternut squash is baked in the oven until tender and then blended with lemon juice, cashews, mustard, almond milk, turmeric and nutritional yeast to create a sauce that I’m so happy to say, tastes cheesy!
If you are not a fan of cauliflower, you could also use this sauce on other veggies such as broccoli or baked potatoes.
If you are feeling creative, you can add in all sorts of different ingredients, including chopped bacon, spinach, kale, mushrooms or sausage for added flavour.
Here are a few more cauliflower recipes that you might enjoy!
- Beef & Cauliflower Rice Mexican Casserole
- Chicken & Cauliflower Rice Soup
- Broccoli, Chicken & Cauliflower Rice Casserole
- Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- Cauliflower Rice Paella
- Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Cauliflower Couscous
- Roasted Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Tacos
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
"Cheese" Sauce
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 2 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2/3 cup cashews soaked for minimum 4 hours
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (or parmesan for SCD)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 - 1 1/3 cup almond milk
"Pasta"
- 1 large head cauliflower approx 5 cups florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place the cubed butternut squash and unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the butternut squash is tender and golden in colour.
- Peel the garlic cloves and place them in a blender along with the butternut squash, cashews, lemon juice, mustard, turmeric, nutritional yeast and almond milk. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
- Remove the stem of the cauliflower and cut the head into small bite sized florets. Toss the florets in the olive oil and salt and lay them out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until slightly tender.
- Place the cooked cauliflower in a serving dish and pour the sauce over top. Gently toss to coat the florets in the sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
I made this as part of our GAPS diet for Mother’s Day. All six of my Mac and cheese lovers/cauliflower haters liked it and asked for more. I had quite a bit of sauce left over and no cauliflower, so I threw the sauce over roasted zucchini and onions and it was equally amazing!
I am also AIP and can not have nuts or nut products, what would be a good substitute?
Sounds amazing. I am thinking of making this for Christmas, but one family member has severe dairy and nut allergies, which makes many holiday dishes a challenge to make. What could use besides cashews and almond milk? (I know that is asking a lot!)
hmm thats a tough one! Are they allergic to all nuts or just cashews and almonds?
Can I substitute something else for the cashews? I can’t have cashews or almonds.
Macadamia nuts would also work!
Do we need to refrigerate the cashews while they soak?
The only way I could see someone thinking this tastes like Mac and cheese is that they have never actually had Mac and cheese before. I agree cauliflower is a champ, it replicates potatoes for Shepard’s pies, it replicates rice for friend rice, but it does not even come close to noodles. The cheese isn’t close to cheese either, it looks good and it isn’t terrible on the taste buds, but it’s definitely not Mac and cheese.
Haha ok I agree I may have been stretching a little too much with the title, maybe something like cauliflower with a creamy butternut sauce would be a bit more fitting. 🙂
Would frozen cauliflower roast as well, do you think? I would probably have to gather up the ingredients over several days, and I would want to have extra cauli!
To be honest I’ve never tried using frozen roasted cauliflower for this recipe but I suspect it would work well. Let me know how it turns out!
Could you clarify the amount the almond milk? I l’m not sure what the dash means ( 1- 1 1/3)
Thanks:)
Of course, the amount of almond milk used depends on how thick the sauce is. I would start by using 1 cup and then add a bit more up to another 1/3 cup if the sauce is too thick and needs thinning.
Made this tonight as a whole 30 dinner. This is our 3rd whole 30 and I’m trying not to make this one quite as meat heavy- this was perfect. The sauce turned out so creamy and delicious! Definitely will make it again and I love the suggestion to use it on baked potatoes.
One question- do you think I could freeze the sauce? Would love to have a freezer stash for whole 30 prep.
On and I also added some crispy prosciutto bits- SO GOOD!
Im so happy to hear you liked it! Prosciutto sounds like such a good addition!! I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it would definitely freeze well
Can the cashews be sub?
You could substitute them for another nut such as blanched almonds or macadamia nuts!
Hi- Can’t wait to try some of these. We are on the SCD and feel amazing. HOWEVER, is nutritional yeast allowed? We can’t find info on it- Thanks
Great question Angie – I have done a fair bit of research on this topic and consensus is mixed but from what I gather as long as you are in remission, and have been in remission for at least 6 months then nutritional yeast can be introduced into your diet in small amounts. That being said if you are following SCD and not comfortable using nutritional yeast you could sub it for parmesan or cheddar cheese which is also allowed on the diet.
Can you sub the butternut squash with like carrots?
Would this work with coconut milk instead of almond milk? I’m feeling too lazy (or impatient) to make almond milk.
Coconut milk would work, it may just make the dish a bit sweeter and coconut flavoured, I personally prefer using almond milk because it is undetectable in savoury dishes. Let me know if you try it!