Broccoli and "Rice" Casserole

By Megan, on March 1st, 2011

As a child, I was a very picky eater.

My mom tried to accommodate all of my family’s different tastes at dinner, and her Broccoli & Rice Casserole was my very favorite dish. In fact, it was one of the only things I would eat, so she made it often! My mom’s traditional version was filled with white rice, shredded cheese and broccoli, so when I was craving comfort food last night, I knew it was time for a little “make-over.”

My new version is easier to make, properly combined and vegan to boot!

Vegan Broccoli and “Rice” Casserole

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
1-2 bunches of broccoli
1 batch Vegan Mac n’ Cheese sauce

Directions:

To start, roughly chop the cauliflower into florets.

Throw the florets into a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, and pulse until crumbly. Be sure to NOT over-process the cauliflower! You want it rice-like, not pureed.

Transfer the cauliflower “rice” into a bowl or baking sheet, and place it in an oven set to LOW. This will help remove some of the moisture while you prepare the rest of your casserole!

–

Next, chop up your broccoli florets!

(Save those stems for another meal of broccoli pasta!)

Gently steam the broccoli in a 1/2″ of water for 5-8 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.

–

Time to make the “cheese” sauce!

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.

–

Now it’s time to throw it all together!

Combine the “rice,” steamed broccoli and as much cheese sauce as you’d like– I didn’t quite use the whole batch of sauce, so I saved the rest for another meal. Mix well, and bake in an oven at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until heated thoroughly.

Serve immediately!

YUM. I loved the contrasting textures of the “rice” and chunks of tender broccoli! This is definitely not the last time I’ll be making this. Next time, I think I’ll add in some extra roasted veggies– asparagus or mushrooms would be a nice addition, as well!

I’m already looking forward to the leftovers! I’m thinking a scoop of this casserole would make a fun salad topper or a nice filling for a raw collard leaf wrap!

–

Thanks to this delicious dinner, my 40-day Vegan Challenge is off to a great start! Thank you so much for all of the recipes you’ve submitted so far– I can’t wait to try them all!

Morgan Torres says:

March 1, 2011 at 1:54 pm

Sigh. I looooove your recipes and this cheese sauce has served me very well over the last month or so. I probably shouldn’t be eating it everyday as I’m sure that many cashews aren’t good for a person! But alas…I’ve bascially been doing this dish but I leave the cauliflower in florets and I add shallots (holy crap those are good!), long beans, and mushrooms. So yummy! BTW, did I tell you that I managed to not ruin my last batch of macaroons? It’s about damn time!

1.1

Megan says:

March 1, 2011 at 2:06 pm

Yay!! Glad the macaroons turned out well for you!

Speaking of the cheese sauce… I used almonds last week in lieu of cashews (since almonds are an alkaline nut!) and I thought it still tasted great! A little different, but still tasty. I’d still use cashews when making this cheese sauce for company, but the almonds are a nice substitute otherwise! Your cheesy veggie bake sounds delish!