Dairy-Free Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Dairy free, vegan, gluten free

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Is it just me or does Mac and Cheese taste 10x better when made with pasta shapes??

As soon as my favorite pasta brand, Banza, announced their alphabet pasta shapes, I couldn't help but remember all the alphabet Mac and Cheese I enjoyed as a kid!

Being that I can no longer have the real deal (dairy…), I wanted to experiment with making a dairy-free cauliflower sauce as the base for a Mac and Cheese dish. The best part is, you can freeze this base in mason jars and thaw it out for a quick dinner on a busy night!

Now, let’s get to the good stuff, shall we…

Dairy-Free Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

What you’ll need:

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• salt + pepper

• 1 box gluten-free pasta (I used Banza alphabet shape pasta - made from chickpeas)

• 1 cup vegan shredded cheese (I used VioLife shredded mozzarella)

What to do:

1. Fill a pot about halfway with water and bring to a boil on the stove

2. Reduce heat to medium-low, add cauliflower to pot, and cook for 10 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered

3. Drain cauliflower in a colander

4. Fill pot halfway with water again and bring to a boil (for pasta)

5. Add cauliflower, coconut milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, and seasonings to a food processor

6. Pulse in food processor until creamy and fully combined

7. Once water is boiling, reduce heat and cook your pasta of choice. If using Banza, cook 5 minutes and then check, cook 2-3 more minutes if necessary (depends on pasta shape)

8. Drain pasta

9. In the pot on the stove, add 1 cup of the cauliflower base and 1 cup of the vegan cheese

10. Stir and cook until creamy

11. Stir in cooked pasta and enjoy!

I sure hope you enjoy this healthified Mac and Cheese recipe that sneaks in some veggies along the way! [I dare you to make this for the fam and not tell them the hidden ingredient…]

Be sure to tag #wanderfullywholesomeeats and let me know how you enjoy it!

xoxo

Danielle Webb