Where are my cauliflower lovers at? I know you're here somewhere.
And if you're not a cauliflower lover yet, you need to try this, because this will make you a cauliflower lover. I promise.
Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that you see in the store, and you really wanna try cooking with it, but sometimes you just have no idea what in the actual world to do with it... so you just don't buy it, and you move on to broccoli or something.
But I've got you. Because after you try this spicy, cheezy, flavorful healthy vegan cauliflower casserole dish recipe you're going to want to buy allll the cauliflower, all the time. 😛
reasons to love this easy + healthy vegan buffalo cauliflower casserole recipe:
- It's easy.. okay so it does require a little bit of your time and a certain level of multitasking but seriously, if you follow my steps... you're going to have an amazing looking healthy vegan dish on the table for dinner, and everyone's gonna say WOW!
- It's healthy! This recipe is oil free, sugar free, and gluten free. Plus, it's got spinach and kale and cauliflower... seriously your grandmother would be proud. <3
- It looks beautiful. It's colorful with hints of orange and green, and makes such a pretty dish for a special occasion, a romantic dinner for two, or to impress friends who think vegans only eat salads.
- It doesn't taste healthy. There is so much flavor, and spice, and cheeziness in here... you'll forget the main ingredient of this dish is plain old cauliflower.
- Makes for the most perfectttt left over meal. Sometimes I make this on Saturday nights because I want the left overs for lunch of Sunday. 😛
how to make this healthy vegan buffalo cauliflower casserole dish:
First we start by bringing the cauliflower florets to a boil. You can use one cauliflower, but if you are using a 9x4 glass casserole dish like mine, I recommend two cauliflowers to fill up the whole thing.
While that's boiling, we're going to be wickedly-awesome-multi-taskers and go ahead and make the special homemade spicy vegan buffalo cream sauce.
If you're a pinch for time, you can totally just use a store bought hot sauce, but here's the thing... my spicy sauce is creamy and thick and makes this whole dish taste totally awesome so if you do decide to skip on it, it's on you! 😛 Once cauliflower is soft and tender, drain and coat with creamy sauce.
Next, we're going to top the cauliflower with greeeens, because greens make everything prettier, and healthier. Add your choice of greens. I always stick to kale and spinach for this dish. Sometimes all kale, sometimes all spinach, sometimes half and half, depending on my mood... and what I have left in the fridge.
Finally, we're going to top it off with the homemade garlic vegan cheezy sauce, and maybe some left over walnut taco meat, if you have any on hand. Seriously, it takes this whole casserole up anothaaa level. But it's totally optional.
Pop it back into the oven for another 10 minutes and you're done. I promise. No more work. Now, we eat.
tasty cauliflower casserole leftovers for lunch...
If you're making this cauliflower casserole dish for a large group, say 4 or more, then you mighttt not have any left overs in the end. But if this is more of a dinner-for-two situation, then let me tell you that lunch tomorrow is going to blow your mind. Another staple of mine is cauliflower rice, check out this guide on how to cook cauliflower rice on a stovetop with a food processor. The end result is so yummy yum food. Try it out and let us know what you think.
This healthy cauliflower casserole tastes sooo good once it has set in the fridge over night. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing fresh-out-the-oven, but sooo yummy as left overs too.
mock mozzarella 'cheeze' sauce
Also, can we talk about this vegan garlic cheezy sauce for a sec? It deserves so much more than that. This cheezy sauce is a vegan miracle.
The sauce will have a pour-able consistency fresh out of the blender but as soon as it settles in the oven, it begins to harden and becomes somewhat of a mock mozzarella cheese layer on top of the casserole. So good friends, soooo good.
Do you like cauliflower? Have you ever made a casserole with it? If you do go ahead and try this recipe don't forget to comment below, or find us on social media to share your review with us. We'd love to feature you in our stories. <3
In the mood for more vegan dinner ideas?
Check out these Oven Roasted Spicy Kale Chips, Easy Raw Vegan Romaine Lettuce Tacos, or my favorite Vegan Garbanzo Bean Soup.
with love + gratitude,
Jen ♥
