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This right here, my friends, is my ultimate vegan comfort food! A super creamy, comforting Vegan Cauliflower Leek Casserole ;)
Yeah, I just can't seem to let go of the leeks. Thankfully, cauliflower is available all year around but those delicious leeks are usually only around until May. Therefore,I'm taking full advantage of them until then.
For those of you who are already enjoying 80° weather...please leave. Just kidding ;) This casserole is just not right for you right now. You'd probably fare much better with some yummy Coconut Raspberry Ice cream or maybe even a yummy Strawberry Ice Cream Cake!
For those of you just hanging around the mid 50's (I'm talking temperature here, NOT age!), you're in MAJOR need of some comfort food. I definitely do after seeing how some people already get to prance around in shorts! Darn you!
Then again, I still get to enjoy this vegan cauliflower leek casserole without getting a heat stroke. So who's really winning right now?
What's the best part of this yummy casserole? Maybe it's the fact that it's super simple to make and only has a 15 min prep time.
All you need is some cauliflower and leeks.
Just those two ingredients are super yummy but we need some delicious creaminess to take those veggies to a whole different level.
Let me introduce my Garlic-Cashew Sauce. Done in 5 minutes and just pour it over your veggies.
Easy, huh? Now just bake it.
The sauce will thicken up nicely and the leeks will cook. After about 40 minutes you'll get my absolute favorite Vegan Cauliflower Leek Casserole! Just add a sprinkle of paprika (cayenne pepper for heat) and some fresh chopped parsley.
Now, you can dig in! You know you want to!
5 from 8 votes
Vegan Cauliflower Leek Casserole
A hearty and vegan comfort food dish that is incredibly simple to make.
CourseEntree
Cuisinedairy-free, Egg-free, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Calories 320 kcal
Author Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com
Ingredients
- ½head of medium Cauliflower3 ½ cups of cauliflower florets or 280g
- 3cups225g chopped Leeks (about 2 Leeks - white and light green parts only and cleaned - See how to here)
Garlic Cashew Sauce
- 1cup170g raw Cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours if you want an extra smooth sauce)
- 2clovesof Garlic
- 2cup500ml of Water
- ⅔of a cup30g Nutritional Yeast
- ¾of a teaspoon Salt
- ½of a teaspoon Pepperoptional or more fresh cracked pepper
Optional Extras
- ¼of a teaspoon Paprika
- ¼of a teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- Fresh Parsleychopped
Instructions
Note that this recipe was made for a small two quart casserole dish. See NOTES if making a larger casserole.
Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
Chop cauliflower into florets and steam in a steamer for 5 -7 minutes until cauliflower is tender. Alternatively, cauliflower can be boiled in a pot for 5-7 minutes. Toss cauliflower and leeks together and place in casserole dish.
Prepare garlic cashew sauce by blending all sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Pour sauce of cauliflower and leeks until well covered. The sauce will thicken while baking.
Place casserole dish in oven and bake for 40 minutes until sauce has thickened and leeks have softened and wilted.
Remove casserole dish from oven. Sprinkle with paprika, cayenne pepper and chopped fresh parsley, if desired. Allow casserole to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before eating.
Recipe Notes
1.) This recipe was made for a 2 quart (1.9L) casserole dish. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if needed but be aware that the baking time may vary slightly. When doubling the recipe add roughly 10 minutes extra baking time. If tripling around 15 to 20 minutes.2.) Feel free to play around with the flavors and ingredients. Add some steamed potatoes, red onion, or even add a teaspoon of dijon mustard to the sauce for a little extra something.
Not digging on this Vegan Cauliflower Leek Casserole as much as I am?
That's alright. Why don't you give one of these recipes a try ;)
Potato Leek Soup, Tempeh Casserole, or Healthy Mushroom Tacos!
More Vegan Dinner Recipes
- Couscous Burger w/ Garlic-Coconut Sauce (V)
- One Pot Lemon Asparagus Quinoa w/ Rocket Pesto (V,GF)
- Lemon Asparagus Tart
- Rosemary Mushroom Tart
Reader Interactions
Comments
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yum! Pinned! I'm really into leeks right now (and always cauliflower)! What a fabulous dish!
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Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
The garlic-cashew sauce has me soooo interested! This looks amazing (and easy to make - bonus)! Love using the seasonal leeks, too - yum!
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Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite says
YUMMO! I love cauliflower and leeks. What a great combo! I'd eat the whole thing.
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Aimee says
This recipe is calling my name! <3 Pinned!
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Jenn says
I am totally drooling over here!! I am a huge lover of cauliflower and this looks insanely good! Definitely going on my menu for next week!! YUM!
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Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yum! Comfort food at it's best. I'm in!
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Linda @ Veganosity says
I'm hanging around in the low 50s, both in age and temperature. :) Your casserole sounds perfect for dinner tonight. Spring weather is so crazy in Chicago. We'll be up to the high 70s on Sunday, then back to the 50s for Monday. Ugh!
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Donna says
Ok we are up in the 80's already, but I still think I could make this delicious sounding dish fly :) Especially when cauliflower and leeks are combined - favourites in this house!
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Hauke Fox says
Woahh, what an impressive looking casserole that is!!! Love it :D
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Molly Kumar says
This looks really delicious and so pretty. What a great combination you've created with leeks + cauliflower.
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Jenn says
I made this last night and just had leftovers for lunch today. I LOVED it!! I could bathe in that garlic cashew sauce, it's so good!! Wonderful recipe, Vanessa!
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Stephanie Dreyer says
I am so trying this! I've been searching for inventive ways to serve up veggies to my kids in new ways (in the hopes that they will like them!). This one looks perfect. Thank you!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Stephanie, I hope you and your kids like this casserole ;)
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Nicole says
I made this and it is so good! I will be making this again and again and again!
Thank you for sharing this.
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Nicole! I'm so happy you liked the casserole ;)
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Lel says
This is gorgeous - creamy, morish, and another making it easier to transition to becoming vegan. Thanks.
(going to try the tempeh squash recipe next)Reply
Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Lel, So happy you liked this Cauliflower Leek Casserole! It'S a family favorite ;)
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Mickael says
Great recipe! This is delicious.
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Kellie Barnett says
Well it was 94 today in Cali and it's 80 inside my house - BUT... I still love comfort food! Since becoming a vegan, a little over 2 months ago, I really miss my comfort food. This recipe was really yummy! I'm not usually one for spicy food, so I went easy on the pepper and didn't include any other spices. Next time I'll try a little cayenne and regular amount of pepper. For those who haven't used nutritional yeast (this was my first time), I was leery about what this would taste like - it was REALLY good, didn't taste synthetic or odd at all. MUST TRY!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Kellie, I'm so happy that you liked the cauliflower leek casserole. It took me a long time to try nutritional yeast as well. For some reasons I was freaked out by it but since I've started using it, I love it! Glad you liked the recipe ;)
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Nola says
AMAZING!!!! I had to share with all my friends and family!
It is also so versatile, I added asparagus, portobello mushrooms, and sun dried tomatoes and served over farro. LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS RECIPE.Reply
Nirmala Sequeira says
I made it exactly as written and found it extremely bland. Could be my taste buds because I like it spicy with some kick.
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Jen says
This is delicious! I added some sun-dried tomatoes and a can of chickpeas, plus an extra clove of garlic in the sauce. For serving, I added some crushed peppers for myself, but the kids and husband liked it as-is. Thanks for this one!
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