I have talked about snow a lot recently. Well, that is because we continue to get more and more. I am always amazed that I never gain more weight than I do in the winter because if I had my way all I would do is eat and sleep. And by eat, I mean eat lots of warm, delicious, gooey goodness. The best ways to feed that craving: bakes, soups, and anything else that I can heat up my oven for an extended period of time.
For example, the red and white cauliflower recipe from Vegan Yum Yum appealed to both Mike and I. I thought about trying the recipe as is, I really did. The problem? How do I make a recipe that so desperately calls out to have cheese in it without the cheese? I couldn’t do it!
We are cheese people and there is no denying it! There is a small natural grocery store in our hometown that has such a fantastic cheese selection (well for this area at least) and at any given time our cheese drawer is full, brimming even. So I restate, how could I make the recipe without cheese? The result: cheesy cauliflower goodness with sweet marinara and nice crunch to top it the whole thing. Really, what could be better? Sure it wasn’t vegan but holy cow it as delicious.
- 1½ cup marinara (I used store bought but homemade will work as well.)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 4 cup cauliflower
- 2 cup broccoli
- Preheat oven to 400˚.
- Begin by chopping cauliflower and broccoli into small pieces, steam until veggies are tender (but not soggy.)
- While the veggies steam, make the white sauce: Over medium low heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour so that a paste forms. Slowly add in milk and whisk together. Keep over medium low heat and whisk often until the roux begins to thicken (should coat the back of a spoon.) Remove from heat and mix in Parmesan cheese. Once veggies are done, mix white sauce and veggies together.
- In a small bowl, whip ricotta, olive oil, basil, rosemary, and black pepper: set aside.
- Once veggies and white sauce are done, begin to layer ingredients in an 8 x 8 pan. Start with ricotta cheese, then layer on the veggies/white sauce, top with marinara, and finish with breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.
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