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Nothing is quite as comforting as a freshly baked, warm healthy cauliflower casserole made from scratch. Made with easy ingredients such as sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and a delightful red pepper cashew cream sauce, this vegan cauliflower casserole is sure to please.
Casseroles may seem a bit old-fashioned but they’re a great way to create hearty and satisfying meals. This one takes some time to prepare, but it is well worth it!!
Want some more casserole inspiration? Explore this black bean quinoa casserole, zucchini and potato casserole, spicy roasted cauliflower, and vegan potato frittata.
Why This Recipe Works
- Leftovers work great served up the next day.
- Makes a warm and comforting dish for dinner.
- A great-tasting recipe that’s perfect for holidays and special occasions.
- A vegan cauliflower casserole even your non-vegan pals will love!
What Goes Into This Recipe
All you need are a handful of simple ingredients to make this healthy cauliflower casserole. Let’s look at what you need:
- Cashews: Use raw, unsalted cashews. These will need to be soaked in water in advance.
- Red peppers: We will be roasting these to flavor the creamy vegan sauce.
- Extra virgin olive oil: For roasting the red peppers.
- Vegetable broth: Used to add more liquid to the sauce. Vegetable broth is preferable to water as it adds more flavor.
- Paprika: Adds a bit of mild peppery flavor to the roasted red pepper sauce.
- Cauliflower and sweet potatoes: The star of the show in this recipe. Use fresh for the best flavor.
- Shallots: For mild onion flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the other ingredients in the dish.
- Fresh cilantro and parsley: Just a bit for garnish.
Substitutions
- Cauliflower: To make this recipe extra colorful, you can use purple cauliflower that the kids and adults alike will be sure to love!
- Jarred roasted peppers: Skip the step of roasting the peppers by buying a jar of roasted peppers. Though roasting your own is more budget-friendly.
- Shallots: You can also use the white part of green onions for a similar mild onion flavor.
- Don’t like sweet potatoes? Use white potatoes instead or simply double the cauliflower.
How To Make Cauliflower Casserole
- 1) Roast the red peppers. Slice the red peppers into quarters and place them on any size baking sheet. Coat them with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt on top. Cook in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the skin of the peppers is black and the peppers are nice and soft.
- 2) Remove them from the oven and let them cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, remove and throw away the skin of the peppers.
PRO TIP: To save time you can use jarred roasted red peppers instead!
- 3) Place the cashews, roasted peppers, vegetable broth, water, paprika, and pepper into a food processor or high-power blender. Blend until everything is smooth. Taste the sauce and add any salt if necessary.
- 4) Cut up your cauliflower, shallots, and sweet potato. I used a mandolin for the potato which worked really well to slice it thinly.
- 5) Assemble the casserole in a 9×13 oven-safe casserole dish. Start with some of the red pepper cashew cream sauce in the bottom of the dish with just enough to coat it.
- 6) Add a layer of sweet potatoes and some of the shallots.
- 7) Spread out another layer of the sauce and then the cauliflower. Repeat until the dish is filled and you’ve used all the ingredients. Make sure that your top layer is the sauce.
- 8) Cover the baking dish with a lid or some aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Cook until the vegetables have softened. Uncover the dish and broil the casserole for about 10 minutes to brown the top of it if you want.
- 9) When it’s ready, remove it from the oven and garnish it with the cilantro and parsley before serving.
Expert Tips
- Buy cashews in bulk to save money.
- Make sure to use raw, unsalted cashews.
- Slice the sweet potatoes evenly so they cook evenly and use a mandolin for the best results if you have one.
- Need to save time? Use jarred roasted red peppers instead.
FAQs
How can I meal prep this recipe in advance?
I suggest roasting the peppers in advance and then making the cashew cream. It will hold in the fridge for up to five days. Buy pre-cut cauliflower florets or cut them in advance so they’re ready to go. I suggest slicing the potatoes right before you assemble the casserole.
Can you freeze this cauliflower casserole with sweet potatoes?
No, it’s not recommended. I don’t find freezing sweet potatoes works all that great as they tend to thaw out a bit mushy.
Can I use frozen cauliflower?
Yes, but thaw it out first and drain it well. It contains a lot more liquid when frozen so for the best results in this recipe I’d recommend not using it straight from the freezer.
More Vegan Cauliflower Recipes
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Casserole
Nothing is quite as comforting as a freshly baked, warm healthy cauliflower casserole made from scratch. Made with easy ingredients such as sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and a delightful red pepper cashew cream sauce, this vegan cauliflower casserole is sure to please.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soaked, raw cashews
- 2 red peppers
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup of vegetable broth
- ¼ cup of water
- 1 ½ teaspoons of paprika
- 2 cups of cauliflower
- 2 shallots, finely sliced
- 1 medium sweet potato, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro and parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and slice the red peppers into quarters. Place them on any size baking sheet and coat with olive oil and pinch of salt on top. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the skin of the peppers is black and the peppers are nice and soft. After taking these out of the oven let them cool. Then remove and throw away the skin of the peppers.
- Put the cashews, roasted peppers, vegetable broth, water, paprika, and pepper into a food processor or high-power blender. Turn on and keep mixing until everything is smooth with no clumps. Taste and add any salt if necessary.
- Once your sauce is made, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut up your cauliflower, shallots, and sweet potato. I used a mandolin for the potato which worked really well to slice it thinly. Once everything is ready, you can start putting the casserole together.
- Using a 9×13 oven-safe casserole dish, start by layering the bottom of the dish with some of the red pepper cashew cream sauce, enough to coat the bottom but not too much. Next you will do a layer of sweet potatoes and some of the shallots, then a layer of the sauce and a layer of the cauliflower. Repeat until the dish is filled and you’ve used all the ingredients. Make sure that your top layer is the sauce and then it is ready to go in the oven.
- Cover with a lid or some aluminum foil and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. Cook until the vegetables have softened, and if you’d like you can even uncover the dish and broil the casserole for about 10 minutes to brown the top of it.
- Take out of the oven and garnish with the cilantro and parsley, then cut to serve.
Notes
- Buy cashews in bulk to save money.
- Make sure to use raw, unsalted cashews.
- Slice the sweet potatoes evenly so they cook evenly and use a mandolin for the best results if you have one.
- Need to save time? Use jarred roasted red peppers instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 6gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 206mgPotassium: 491mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 6916IUVitamin C: 69mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg
Additional Info
Tried this recipe?Please tag us at @PlantBasedOnABudget! 🙂
What can I substitute for the cashews? I am allergic to them. Would slivered almonds work with a little more olive oil? Or almond butter?
We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried out those subs yet so can’t guarantee the results. If you end up giving it a try, please let us know how it turns out!
This looks interesting never had cauliflower casserole before
It’s so delicious – you’d love it!
What can I substitute the olive oil with?
You can substitute with veggie broth or water. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi
I was wondering how long do you soak the cashews for. This makes sense. But I haven’t done it before. Tia
The casserole is fantastic, but the red pepper cream sauce is luscious! A new family favorite!
Nothing like a creamy and delicious sauce to top a healthy casserole like this one!
This sweet potato casserole is fun to make! Love the flavors.
Right?! Fun, simple, and delicious!
Super tasty and easy to make!
Gotta love how easy this casserole is to whip up!
So yummy and love all the veggies in it!
Right?! It’s a perfect healthy weeknight meal!
What a great dish! I love all the flavors, and it tastes amazing.
Easy to make and delicious, my favorite combination. Thank you for sharing.
It’s definitely a great combination of ingredients and flavors!
Such a wonderful idea, making a cauliflower sweet potato casserole! Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks for this yummy recipe!
Let us know what you think! It’s a delicious one!
Such a yummy casserole dish!