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–+ servings

Cheesy Cauliflower Rice & Broccoli Bake

Savory, cheesy cauliflower rice and broccoli bake with just 10 ingredients required! The perfect healthy, comforting side dish for holidays and every day!
Author Minimalist Baker
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Baking pan filled with a batch of our Cheesy Cauliflower Rice Broccoli Bake for a simple vegan dinner
4.79 from 70 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 4 Days

Ingredients

VEGETABLES

SAUCE

  • 4 Tbsp olive, grape seed, or avocado oil (or vegan butter)
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~2.5 Tbsp)
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot starch (if not gluten free, can sub all purpose flour)
  • 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk (can sub rice)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt + black pepper (plus more to taste)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)

MIX-INS optional

  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas or quinoa for added protein
  • 1 cup chopped curly kale
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch (or similar size) baking dish (adjust number/size of pan if altering batch size).
  • Prepare your cauliflower rice (either with the shredding attachment on your food processor or a box grater). Set aside.
  • Lightly steam your broccoli - just until it has a slight bite - either in the microwave in 45-second increments or on the stovetop using a steamer basket in a saucepan with 1-2 inch of water). Place in refrigerator for later.
  • Next prepare your sauce. Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and minced garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown, then add arrowroot starch and whisk - cook for 1 minute.
  • Slowly add almond milk while whisking, then cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. The sauce will likely look a little clumpy - that’s OK! We’re going to blend it.
  • Transfer mixture to a blender, along with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), nutritional yeast, and vegan parmesan cheese and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings as needed - you want it pretty well salted + cheesy, so don't be shy with the nutritional yeast, salt, and vegan parmesan cheese.
  • Return sauce back to skillet from earlier and cook over low heat until warmed and slightly thickened - about 2-3 minutes - whisking occasionally. As it warms back up, it will thicken (see photo). For a thicker sauce, leave it as is. To thin slightly, add almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Turn off heat if it starts bubbling too aggressively or gets too thick.
  • Heat a separate skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp oil (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and cauliflower rice. Season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Then cover and let cook/steam for 2 minutes. Remove cover, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes more or until slightly softened. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the steamed broccoli to the mixing bowl and season liberally with salt, pepper and half of the vegan parmesan cheese (1/4 cup as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). This step is important to infuse plenty of flavor into the dish. Stir to coat. If adding chickpeas or kale, add at this time (optional).
  • Add all of the sauce to the mixture and stir to coat. Then transfer to your greased baking dish and top with another sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese.
  • Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and bake at 400 degrees F (190 C) for 5-15 minutes more or until bubbly and slightly golden brown. You are looking for golden brown edges and a bubbly center.
  • Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Then serve as is or with a garnish of more vegan parmesan cheese and/or fresh chopped parsley for some color - optional.
  • Best when fresh. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F (176 C) until warmed through.

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 231 Carbohydrates: 14.5 g Protein: 6.6 g Fat: 18.4 g Saturated Fat: 2.9 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 490 mg Fiber: 4.8 g Sugar: 3.5 g