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Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls

October 26, 2020 by Lindsay 39 Comments

These Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls are perfect for Meatless Monday and full of vegetarian protein to keep you full all night.

Hi Friends!

Time for another fabulous guest post – Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls. Today I’m introducing you to Rachael from An Avocado A Day. She’s a fellow RD who I also met through Recipe Redux and I just love her to pieces. Early this year she took a huge leap of faith to follow her dreams and start her own private practice and I’m so proud of her! Her blog is filled with delicious, plant-centric recipes that always make me drool. Be sure to go check it out!

These Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls are perfect for Meatless Monday and full of vegetarian protein to keep you full all night.

Hello there! I’m Rachael, a dietitian and blogger who writes about all things delicious and nutritious on my blog, An Avocado A Day. When Lindsay asked me to guest post while she enjoys Baby Bean time, I was thrilled! I’ve been an avid reader since I stumbled upon her blog in the early days of Avocado. She inspires me to be active, cause seriously, if she can do crossfit while pregnant I can squeeze in a jog every now and then. Because of her, I’ve gotten my you-know-what together on Sundays to spend a few hours on food prep. And she brought us the amazingness that is the frozen blueberry cashew bar. So yes Lindsay, I would be more than happy to help you out!

The recipe I’m sharing today is serious comfort food. Like, the kind of dish you need to unbutton your jeans for. If you’ve had a bad day, sit down to a big bowl of this and a Meg Ryan movie and I pinkie swear you’ll feel better. It’s rich, cheesy, creamy and dreamy – all those good comfort food adjectives!

These Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls are perfect for Meatless Monday and full of vegetarian protein to keep you full all night.

With an intro like that, you may be surprised to learn this dish is vegan and can easily be made gluten free. And you DEFINITELY didn’t expect it to have cauliflower. I mean, when has anyone put the bland white veg in your sad frozen vegetable mix in the same category as macaroni and cheese and ice cream?

As a child, cauliflower was my least favorite vegetable. As I type this, I’m pretty sure 11-year-old Rachael is rolling her eyes and overdramatically gagging, but now, cauliflower is among my favorites. Simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, it’s pretty much perfect. But where cauliflower really shines is with it’s versatility. It can be roasted whole,  frittered and turned into things like grain free rice, pizza crust and even a dairy free cream sauce!

This recipe takes advantage of cauliflower’s transformational ability, turning it into a cheesy vegan mash. Soaked cashews add rich creaminess and nutritional yeast lends a hint of cheesy flavor. I always add a couple potatoes to my cauliflower mash because I think without them, it can get a little gloppy. Feel free to substitute sweet potatoes, which would make a pretty color and slightly sweet flavor.

These Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls are perfect for Meatless Monday and full of vegetarian protein to keep you full all night.

The cauliflower mash is tasty enough to stand on it’s own as a lower carb, mashed potato substitute. However, as someone believes the sides make the dish, I decided to turn it a complete meal. First, I topped it with a quick sauté of garlicky kale and white beans for green and protein. Then I whipped up a rich mushroom gravy, because, well gravy. Admittedly, it dirties more than a few pans, but let that stop you. Plus, my husband has made the gracious offer to do your dishes if you make a bowl for him!

Print

Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls

cauliflower mash 1
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

These Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls are perfect for Meatless Monday and full of vegetarian protein to keep you full all night.

  • Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

Scale

Cauliflower Mash:

  • 2 medium potatoes, in 1-inch cubes
  • 1 head cauliflower, cut in florets
  • ½ cup cashews, soaked at least 2 hours
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, plus more if needed
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 4 scallions, chopped (optional)

Gravy:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, chopped
  • ¼ onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (or gluten free flour)
  • ½ cup dry red wine
  • 1 ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Greens n’ beans:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 10-ounce bag chopped kale
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 14-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

  1.  
  2. Instructions
  3. Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large pot with a steamer basket set over it. Place the potatoes and cauliflower in the basket, cover, and steam 15 minutes until very tender.
  4. While the vegetables are steaming, make the gravy. Head olive oil in a small pot on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, red onion and garlic and sauté 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender and have released liquid. Add flour, stir to combine and cook 1 minute. Add wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Once mostly evaporated, add vegetable broth and herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set heat to low until ready to use.
  5. Next, make the greens. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add kale and cook until wilted, adding a few tablespoons of water every so often to help steam. When mostly wilted, add garlic and white beans and cook another 2-3 minutes.
  6. Place potatoes, cauliflower in a food processor with cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a food processor. Blend until creamy, adding more almond milk if needed. Mix in scallions if using.
  7. Serve cauliflower mash topped with greens, beans and mushroom gravy.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @theleangreenbean on Instagram

These Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls are perfect for Meatless Monday and full of vegetarian protein to keep you full all night.

 

[Tweet “A must try! Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Mash Bowls from @rhartleyRD and @leangrnbeanblog!”]

Huge thanks to Rachael for stopping by today!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: Cashew, Cauliflower, Milk, Potato

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tricia @ A Couple of Dashes says

    October 24, 2014 at 3:55 AM

    Thanks for sharing this! As a fellow dairy-free eater, it’s always hard to find foods that taste creamy and cheesy so this is amazing! I always look for foods that taste like something a non-dairy-free eater would like but it’s rare to find with this type of food.

    Reply
  2. Angela @ Happy Fit Mama says

    October 24, 2014 at 5:36 AM

    This looks amazing! The gravy sounds amazing – I love portabella mushrooms!

    Reply
  3. Hollie says

    October 24, 2014 at 5:46 AM

    That’s an interesting combination. I’ve never tried mashed cauli before but it might be something to do. At 11 (and 12+) it was my least favorite vegetable as well. In fact, it wasn’t until I was in college that I started to actually like it LOL.

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      November 7, 2014 at 10:44 AM

      Same here! I despised cauliflower as a child and now I eat it almost every week. Same with Brussels sprouts. It seems my least favorite vegetables as a child are now my favorites!

      Reply
  4. Misszippy says

    October 24, 2014 at 6:44 AM

    These sound amazing! I will definitely be trying.

    Reply
  5. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:09 AM

    So yum!

    Reply
  6. Tina Muir says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:18 AM

    Yummy! This sounds great Rachel! I have just managed to convince my man that cauliflower can be good, with cheese in here he will be all set! Love the addition of the mushrooms and cashews, two of my favorites!

    Reply
  7. Maryea {happy healthy mama} says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:23 AM

    Love the looks of this recipe!! If I was having a vegan Thanksgiving, I’d put this on the menu for sure. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Jojo @ Run Fast Eat Lots says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:36 AM

    I’ve never tried mashed cauliflower before. This looks delicious

    Reply
  9. [email protected] says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:40 AM

    PINNING!! This looks so good!

    Reply
  10. JEnnifer F says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:46 AM

    That looks like a bowl full of comfort!

    Reply
  11. Linz @ Itz Linz says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:55 AM

    yum!!!

    Reply
  12. Maureen says

    October 24, 2014 at 8:22 AM

    Total comfort food!

    Reply
  13. Dietitian Jess says

    October 24, 2014 at 8:28 AM

    I love Rachael’s recipes and also follow her blog, this one sounds yummy, I think non-vegans would definitely enjoy it also 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  14. Joanna @Makingmine says

    October 24, 2014 at 8:50 AM

    This just might get my 16 month old to eat cauliflower! Awesome idea!

    Reply
  15. Sarah @ Sweet Miles says

    October 24, 2014 at 9:21 AM

    Ok, confession, I first thought this sounded like something I would NEVER want to try or have an appetite for, but oh my, you’ve changed my mind! This actually looks delicious! My husband loves cauliflower but I don’t tend to gravitate towards it, so I think this might be a nice compromise!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      November 7, 2014 at 10:43 AM

      Haha! It’s hard to sell cauliflower! I used to absolutely hate it when I was younger, but after experimenting with it, cauliflower has become a favorite! Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  16. Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says

    October 24, 2014 at 9:47 AM

    Mmm! We sometimes make greens and beans over polenta- I love the idea of putting it over a cauliflower mash instead.

    Reply
  17. Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says

    October 24, 2014 at 12:15 PM

    Love the idea to add cashews! I bet it makes it fabulously rich!

    Reply
  18. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says

    October 24, 2014 at 12:30 PM

    Yum! I love cauliflower mash. What a great idea to add potatoes and cashews for something extra. You’ve inspired a new recipe in me.

    Reply
  19. GiGi Eats says

    October 24, 2014 at 2:12 PM

    Mmm! You just reminded me to definitely make a cauliflower mash again! I think I might try and add some nutritional yeast (instead of cheese) and see what happens! 😉

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  20. Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says

    October 24, 2014 at 2:18 PM

    This looks incredible. Loved this post and I am now following her blog as well!

    Reply
  21. Alex says

    October 24, 2014 at 2:45 PM

    This looks delicious! I just wanna make a big bowl of this and veg out on the couch with a glad of wine. Weekend time!! 😀

    Reply
  22. Heather says

    October 24, 2014 at 4:19 PM

    looks delicious!! how would you recommend making this on a larger scale, say for thanksgiving??

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      November 7, 2014 at 10:41 AM

      Hi Heather! I would just double up the ingredients and make it in advance. The mushroom gravy might thicken up a bit too much if you do it too far in advance, so you might want to do that the day of (or just add a little broth to thin it). Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  23. Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says

    October 24, 2014 at 9:02 PM

    I didn’t know you started your business earlier this year I thought you’d been doing it for a while! Well congratulations to you too then! I love the addition of cashews to this mash, I bet it makes the best consistency and deliciousness! Pinning! have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      November 7, 2014 at 10:40 AM

      Nope! Just started earlier this year, although looking back I wish I started it earlier!

      Reply
  24. Michele @ paleorunningmomma says

    October 25, 2014 at 10:07 AM

    Looks yummy and very creative 🙂

    Reply
  25. Matt @ Runner Savvy says

    October 25, 2014 at 8:16 PM

    Looks good! Real cheese for me though please 🙂

    Reply
  26. Maddy says

    February 10, 2015 at 1:49 PM

    Although I’m vegetarian, not vegan, this looks Delish! I may sprinkle some Parmesan on it. By the way, I have always loved cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Always ate them as a kid. Have you tried maple syrup on Brussels sprouts? Holy Cannoli! Just cut them in half, braise them and drizzle with real maple syrup. I could eat both of these dishes together but that’s why they call us “stinky vegetarians” isn’t it?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:18 AM

      oooh sounds delish! must try!

      Reply

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Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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