Welcome! I am so happy you chose to gather around my table. My name is Mia Swinehart and I am a registered dietitian with a passion for simple healthy recipes, women's hormonal health, and overall wellness!
The best ever cheesy vegan spaghetti! A dairy free and gluten free creamy cheese sauce made from cauliflower!
Best way to sneak in some veggies: pasta sauce! If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know this to be true! I am always sneaking in veggies to my favorite food (aka pasta). Making the foods you love more nourishing is the best way to enjoy healthy eating if you ask me!
This sauce is dairy free, but you honestly wouldn’t ever believe it is made from cauliflower! It is so silk smooth and has the most amazing, addicting flavor.
It’s easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. No nuts/soaking of nuts required. Just some fresh cauliflower, onion, garlic, and a few other staple ingredients. The perfect go-to weeknight dinner that everyone will love.
Just look at that creamy, cheesy heaven! YUM! I simply cannot get enough of this recipe.
This recipe is actually based off the best baked vegan mac and cheese recipe, but I decided to give it its own post! It’s the same base recipe, without the baking step or cracker topping. Both recipes are equally delicious- it just depends what you’re in the mood for! 🙂
This recipe is a total win. It’s comforting, satisfying, and full of nutrients. Once you make it, you will be obsessed! I make this sauce so often- I have it memorized at this point!
Be sure to leave a rating and review if you make this recipe! And tag me on Instagram so that I can see your meals! It makes my day!! Enjoy! xo
Gluten free and dairy free cheesy spaghetti sauce made with cauliflower! Simple, creamy, and nourishing!
Ingredients
Scale
2 tbsp vegan butter (can sub regular butter or ghee if dairy free isn’t necessary)
1/2 of a yellow or white onion, finely diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2–3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1.5 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Plain unsweetened dairy free milk as needed, up to 1/3 cup
12–16 oz pasta of choice (I use gluten free brown rice or chickpea spaghetti)
Optional For Topping:
Vegan parmesan
Instructions
Start by making the sauce. Heat a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Once hot, add ghee or butter and stir in onions. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in minced garlic and allow to cook for about 30 seconds, then stir in cauliflower.
Add the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and pepper to the pot and give everything a good stir. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until cauliflower is fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to directions on box. Drain and set aside.
When cauliflower is soft, remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Carefully add everything from the pot for the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.
Mix the sauce with the pasta in the pot, adding dairy free milk as needed to thin the sauce to desired consistency, up to 1/3 cup.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to tag @gatherednutrition on INstagram so I can see what you made! Leaving a rating and review on the site is a huge help too!
Hi Mia! I surely have frozen cauliflower rice, would that work or do you think it would be too watery? Don’t want to screw up the creamy consistency that it should be!!
I’ve cooked this twice and have gotten positive comments about the taste. It’s absolutely delicious and tastes like Alfredo sauce to me which as a new vegan I’ve missed.
Just finished making my version of this dish and I’m in loveeeee!! I tweaked the sauce by adding an Italian herb seasoning blend, tonssss of red pepper flakes for heat, and a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s vegan truffle aioli. My pasta was TJs cauliflower gnocchi. I also added some diced up TJs crispy tenders and a little vegan shredded cheese. To. Die. For.
Very nice flavor! Creamy and satisfying.
★★★★★
This was soooo good! So creamy, could not tell it was not real Mac n cheese. Picky boyfriend approved!!
★★★★★
Hi Mia! I surely have frozen cauliflower rice, would that work or do you think it would be too watery? Don’t want to screw up the creamy consistency that it should be!!
I think it may be a little watery, but you can definitely experiment with it!
what can i use instead of nutritional yeast? would cheese work as a substitute?
Yes! You can use parmesan!
so yummy! your recipes have been making me actually excited to cook!!
★★★★★
This makes my day! Thank you so much Emma 🙂
Such a great alternative to store bought sauce! Liked it even more and it’s super healthy! Thanks Mia!!
★★★★★
Sounds like such a great recipe! Will try it. I wanted to ask what kind of dairy free milk do you use for this and all the other dairy free recipes??
Usually unsweetened oat milk! 🙂
I’ve cooked this twice and have gotten positive comments about the taste. It’s absolutely delicious and tastes like Alfredo sauce to me which as a new vegan I’ve missed.
This is hands down the best ‘cheesy’ pasta recipe I’ve made since going dairy free! Also makes for great left overs 🙂
★★★★★
This is soooo good!!
★★★★★
Just finished making my version of this dish and I’m in loveeeee!! I tweaked the sauce by adding an Italian herb seasoning blend, tonssss of red pepper flakes for heat, and a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s vegan truffle aioli. My pasta was TJs cauliflower gnocchi. I also added some diced up TJs crispy tenders and a little vegan shredded cheese. To. Die. For.
★★★★★