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Home » Main Dishes » Vegan Cauliflower Shells and Cheese.

Vegan Cauliflower Shells and Cheese.

Sep 2, 2015 · Modified: Oct 2, 2019 by Kelly Roenicke · 20 Comments

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Shells and cheese made with a creamy cauliflower sauce. This is easy to make and full of plant based nutrition!

Vegan cauliflower shells and cheese is a perfect way to make comfort food a little healthier! Enjoy this tasty dish and get an extra serving of veggies, too!

cauliflower shells and cheese

Shells and cheese, anyone? How about vegan shells and cheese with a super healthy creamy cauliflower sauce?

It all started when I picked up this beauty at the Farmer’s Market:

Yellow cauliflower is the base of this dairy free shells and cheese recipe.

I’m so attracted to the bright colors at the Farmer’s Market. I wound up buying this cauliflower, beets, corn, carrots, peppers, heirloom tomatoes, and a huge bunch of flowers. I had to slow down because I couldn’t carry anything else!

vegan and gluten free mac and cheese

A traditional vegan mac and cheese recipe.

I just loved the bright shade of yellow-orange and I knew that I wanted to make something special with it. By the time I got home, I had decided on a plant-based version of mac and cheese. Or in this case, vegan shells and cheese with cauliflower.

It was simple to make this sauce…I just simmered the cauliflower until tender in some vegetable broth and then pureed it using an immersion blender. I added plenty of nutritional yeast and spices to get a nice cheesy flavor. (And bonus, the nutritional yeast also adds a ton of B12, and is a complete protein).

Orange cauliflower does contain lots of anthocyanins and carotenoids which are important for eye health, and are also anti-inflammatory, so if you can find one, grab it! If you can only find white cauliflower, go ahead and make this sauce – it will taste the same, but the color will be different.

Vegan shells and cheese - this creamy sauce is easy to make and full of plant based nutrition! #vegan

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Shells and cheese made with a creamy cauliflower sauce. This is easy to make and full of fiber!
4.5 from 2 votes
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Vegan Cauliflower Shells and Cheese.

Creamy and comforting vegan shells and cheese made with a healthy cauliflower sauce.
Course Entree
Cuisine Dairy Free, gluten free, vegan.
Keyword cauliflower mac and cheese, vegan mac and cheese recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 269 kcal
Author Kelly Roenicke

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces pasta shells I used gluten free quinoa and corn shells
  • 1 head orange cauliflower cut into florets
  • ½ cup onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 â…› teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon dried mustard powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh parsley
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
  2. Place the cauliflower florets and the onion in a large pot with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is tender.
  3. Remove the pot from the heat and puree the vegetables with an immersion blender until very smooth.
  4. Place the pot back on low heat and stir in the vegan buttery spread, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, white pepper, and mustard powder. Stir until smooth and incorporated. Add the cooked pasta. Stir to combine.
  5. Serve with more salt and pepper to taste and fresh parsley if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Cauliflower Shells and Cheese.
Amount per Serving
Calories
269
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
4
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Sodium
 
604
mg
26
%
Potassium
 
263
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
 
47
g
16
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
9
g
18
%
Vitamin A
 
325
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
7.4
mg
9
%
Calcium
 
19
mg
2
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Vegan cauliflower shells and cheese is the perfect meal for:

  • those who are on a dairy free diet
  • those new to plant based eating
  • families who want to incorporate more vegetables into their meals

vegan cauliflower shells and cheese

Have you made a creamy cauliflower sauce before? How did you like it?

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Filed Under: Dairy Free, food, Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegan Tagged With: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Fish Free, Gluten Free, Legume Free, Nightshade Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Sesame Free, Shellfish Free, Soy Free, Sugar Free, top 8 allergy free recipe

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Kelly Roenicke
Kelly Roenicke
Mom to two boys with food allergies and sensitivities, Kelly is passionate about allergy friendly cooking and baking. She believes that you can enjoy amazing, easy recipes even when cooking for multiple food allergies.
Kelly Roenicke
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen

    May 03, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    4 stars
    Was tasty and easy enough to make. Not sure if it was my broth but it was more sand color than anything.

    Reply
  2. Katie

    October 02, 2019 at 9:25 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe!

    Reply
  3. Catherine Shteynberg

    September 23, 2015 at 3:42 pm

    Is it possible to use olive oil rather than the vegan spread? I don’t like to use processed food ingredients.

    Reply
  4. Sarah@Whole and Heavenly Oven

    September 03, 2015 at 7:32 am

    Oh gosh, I absolutely LOVE cauliflower sauce! Seriously my favorite sauce in the entire world—I swear, it’s magic! ;) Totally lovin’ these gorgeous shells, Kelly! I think I just found dinner for tonight…

    Reply
    • Kelly

      September 03, 2015 at 11:47 pm

      Thank you, Sarah!

      Reply
  5. whiskandshout

    September 02, 2015 at 9:46 pm

    That cauliflower is stunning! And this dish is a godsend :) Pinning!

    Reply
    • Kelly

      September 03, 2015 at 11:47 pm

      Thank you so much for pinning!

      Reply
  6. Sarah | Well and Full

    September 02, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    That caulifower is such a beautiful color! And very reminiscent of traditional mac and cheese :)

    Reply
    • Kelly

      September 03, 2015 at 11:48 pm

      Thank you, Sarah! It was a beauty!

      Reply
  7. Julia

    September 02, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    I’m salivating like craaaazy! It’s been so long since I’ve eaten mac n cheese, and that vegan cauliflower sauce sounds amazing! I love your idea of using orange cauliflower to make the sauce look more cheesy – so brilliant, ha! I already have nutritional yeast on-hand, so I’m all amped up to try these delish shells!

    Reply
    • Kelly

      September 03, 2015 at 11:48 pm

      Thanks so much, Julia! I was so excited to see that cauliflower!

      Reply
  8. Natalie @ Tastes Lovely

    September 02, 2015 at 1:29 pm

    I have never even seen orange cauliflower! So pretty. And perfect for this mac and cheese.

    Reply
    • Kelly

      September 03, 2015 at 11:48 pm

      Thanks, Natalie!

      Reply
  9. Emily @ Sinful Nutrition

    September 02, 2015 at 11:58 am

    I was guessing there was going to be some cashews hidden in this sauce, but love how it’s just cauliflower! Vegan or not, I am hunting down some colorful cauliflower and trying this!

    Reply
  10. Strength and Sunshine

    September 02, 2015 at 10:51 am

    Mac and cheese twins today ;) So good!
    Cauliflower sauce was my first mac and cheese recipe! It’s such a great veggie for EVERYTHING!

    Reply
  11. Chelsey

    September 02, 2015 at 9:40 am

    I’ve never made a cauliflower sauce, but it’s been on my to do list! Love that this vegan “mac and cheese” doesn’t have any nuts so I can try it! woo! Beautiful photos too!!

    Reply
  12. dianeboy

    September 02, 2015 at 8:21 am

    One gorgeous cauliflower! Love what you did with it!

    Reply
  13. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    September 02, 2015 at 7:21 am

    I love this spin on mac ‘n cheese, Kelly! Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, so I will have to try this out!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Guide to Dairy Substitutes. - The Pretty Bee says:
    September 9, 2015 at 10:36 am

    […] Another easy cheesy substitute is nutritional yeast.  Nutritional yeast is full of vitamins and minerals and is an excellent source of B12. It comes in flakes and you can either sprinkle it on your food (like on top of pizza popcorn or pasta) or use it to make a cheesy sauce. […]

    Reply
  2. Detox “Frappuccino”, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Chocolate Fudge Cookies and More says:
    September 8, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    […] Vegan Cauliflower Shells and Cheese @ The Pretty Bee […]

    Reply

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