Today, I challenged myself to make a Cauliflower Mac n’ Cheese without using any recipe. No measurements, basing everything off of my tastebuds LOL! Watch the video below to see what I made and don’t forget to scroll down for the written recipe that I created from this challenge (just a list of ingredients actually LOL)~
I’ve been making vegan mac n’ cheeses for several years now, but this time, I want to take this up a level by using cauliflower for the main part of the cheese! To make it extra challenging and fun, I used no recipe — meaning I did not pre-plan the specific amount of each ingredient that I will be using or look up other similar recipes to get an idea. I did have a rough idea of what I wanted to add just based on my experience with cooking, but for this recipe, I decided to completely leave it up to taste.
Going back at how I made this, I think I would have wanted to add in some cashews to make the sauce creamier (a little something to note if I want to make this in the future). It wasn’t as smooth the first time I blended it, but I made a few tweaks to make it just the way I like it.
Overall, it was yummy, creamy, and definitely satisfying!
NOTE: All measurements provided in the recipe were just my estimates, so feel free to add less or more of each if needed.
Do you want to take this no-recipe challenge with me? What should I try and make with no recipe next time?
Don’t forget to watch the video above and to scroll down for the written instructions!
Cauliflower Mac n’ Cheese recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 serving of pasta
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 cup onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cups cauliflower
- 1 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk) – more if needed
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika powder
- 1/2 veggie stock cube
- 1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- Small handful of vegan cheese (optional)
- 1-2 tbsp simulated bacon bits (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Heat butter on a medium to large saucepan or a pot. Add in onions and garlic and cook.
- Add in the cauliflower (a splash of water if needed) and non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, paprika and veggie stock cube (see notes). Stir.
- Give it a good stir before covering and let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cauliflower has softened.
- Add small amounts of water or more non-dairy milk if needed so the mixture doesn’t get too dry.
- Transfer the mixture into a blender. Add in vegan yogurt, lemon juice, and dijon mustard and blend until smooth.
- Give it a taste and add more seasonings or non-dairy milk if needed.
- Pour sauce onto the cooked pasta and mix.
- Top with vegan cheese and simulated bacon bits and mix.
- Plate and enjoy!
My Notes:
- I haven’t tried this, but I think it might be better to add the seasonings after cooking up the cauliflower, instead of adding them to cook with the cauliflower. So feel free to cook up the cauliflower, onions and garlic then add in the seasonings into the blender once cooked.
- Another option is to steam the cauliflower with water to cook it and sautee the onions and garlic mixture separately. Then simply add all the ingredients into the blender and blend, instead of cooking the cauliflower with the non-dairy milk.
