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You are here Home » Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice (vegan, gf)

34 Comments · May 22, 2015

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice (vegan, gf)

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Let's get right to this cheesy goodness. This vegan cheesy broccoli cauliflower rice is another one of those long-forgotten ideas I mentioned in last Friday's post, and I'm bummed that it's taken me this long to test and share it because it's a game-changing, habit-forming delight.

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice | An ultra-cheesy , protein-packed "rice" that's vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free!

 

It's no secret that I LOVE cauliflower rice and eat it by the bowlful on a regular basis. Why is it so fantastic? Great question.

1| It lures in the flavors of whatever sauces and seasonings it's cooked alongside.

2| It's a great way to sneak in another serving or two of veggies.

3| It can be enjoyed in large quantities without inducing a post-meal yawn fest.

4| It cooks up quicker than brown rice (aka my grainy go-to).

For this version, you'll start by heating a bit of olive oil and garlic in a pan. Then, you'll rice a large head of cauliflower florets by hand (with a grater) or by pulsing them in a food processor to create a rice-like consistency. Toss the cauliflower "rice" into the pan along with some tiny-cut broccoli florets and sauté until tender and just turning golden.

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice | An ultra-cheesy , protein-packed "rice" that's vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free!

While the "rice" is sautéing, you'll make a protein-packed, nut-free hemp seed cheddar cheese sauce. Trust me when I say this sauce is magical. Smooth, slightly tangy, and high in complete protein thanks to the hemp seeds. I'm a bit obsessed with it, so you'll probably see it being repurposed in other recipes over the next few months. Nachos, casseroles, sandwiches, oh my.

To make it, you'll add hemp seeds, water, roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, apple cider vinegar (or another acid -- lemon juice, white wine vinegar, etc.), and sea salt to a blender. Blend on high until you have a smooth, orange-hued liquid. Pour into a saucepan, heat over medium, and stir constantly for about 5 minutes or until thickened.

Protein-packed hemp seed cheddar cheese sauce!

Then, slowly pour that cheesy goodness over the broccoli + cauliflower rice...

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice | An ultra-cheesy , protein-packed "rice" that's vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free!

Give it a good stir...

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice | An ultra-cheesy , protein-packed "rice" that's vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free!

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice | An ultra-cheesy , protein-packed "rice" that's vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free!

Enjoy by the bowlful...

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice | An ultra-cheesy , protein-packed "rice" that's vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free!

📖 Recipe

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice | An ultra-cheesy , protein-packed "rice" that's vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free!
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5 from 5 votes

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice (vegan, gf)

Cauliflower "rice" and broccoli florets are cooked to perfection and coated in a protein-rich, tangy, and velvety hemp seed cheddar sauce.
Course Entrée, Rice, Side
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 136kcal

Ingredients

Broccoli Cauliflower Rice

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large head cauliflower, riced
  • 3 broccoli stalks, destemmed and cut into very small florets
  • sea salt
  • black pepper, to taste

Hemp Cheese Sauce

  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup hemp hearts
  • ¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 ½ tablespoons arrowroot powder
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Broccoli Cauliflower Rice

  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the riced cauliflower and broccoli florets, turn the heat up to medium, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the broccoli and cauliflower are tender and golden, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Hemp Cheese Sauce

  • While the broccoli and cauliflower are cooking, make the hemp cheese sauce by adding all ingredients to a blender, and blending on high until smooth. Pour into a medium sauce pan and heat over medium. Stir continuously for 5 minutes or until thickened. As it cooks, you may notice greenish flecks from the blended hemp seeds (totally normal and to be expected with hemp seeds).
  • Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli-cauliflower rice, stir, and season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 136kcal | Protein: 9g | Fat: 4g

 

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Comments

  1. Marie says

    May 22, 2015 at 6:08 am

    5 stars
    OMG that looks SO damn good. Seriously, I would kill someone to eat a bowl of this right now. Just kidding...
    Do you think the sauce would work with tomatoes instead of red bell peppers, or would it be too watery?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 22, 2015 at 6:30 am

      Haha! Thanks, Marie!! I would stick with the roasted red peppers for texture and flavor, as they do add a bit of a cheesy tang. I used jarred roaated red peppers to keep it simple. I hope you enjoy it!!

      Reply
      • Miranda says

        November 30, 2017 at 11:23 pm

        what is the amount of Vitamin B12?

        Reply
        • Ashley says

          November 30, 2017 at 11:24 pm

          Hi, Miranda! I’ve never calculated it, so I’m not sure. Will also depend on the nutritional yeast you use and whether or not it’s fortified with B12.

          Reply
  2. Anna says

    May 22, 2015 at 9:20 am

    Can't wait to try it!!! love the combination :)

    https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 26, 2015 at 8:58 am

      Thanks, Anna!

      Reply
  3. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    May 22, 2015 at 9:40 am

    I am drooling over here! This is one amazing recipe! I am all about cauli-rice and I love the broccoli in there with the cheese! Such a perfect vegan take on a classic flavor like cheesey broccoli soup! XOXO

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 26, 2015 at 8:59 am

      Thanks so much, Rebecca! I hope you enjoy this recipe!

      Reply
  4. Shonalika says

    May 22, 2015 at 11:13 am

    Wow this looks SOO good! Can't wait to try it out:D

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 26, 2015 at 8:59 am

      Thanks, Shonalika! I hope you enjoy it :)

      Reply
  5. Emma says

    May 22, 2015 at 3:21 pm

    LOVE the sound of this! What a great weeknight dinner. I'm very into cauli rice right now ( made your recipe with the cinnamon roasted s.potatoes & avo mash the other day) and broccoli is my favourite veggie :D

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 26, 2015 at 9:03 am

      I'm so glad you made the sweet potato + cauliflower rice recipe, Emma! If you liked that, you like cauli rice, and broccoli is your favorite veggie, I think this recipe will win you over. :)

      Reply
  6. Christina says

    May 24, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    I'm making this for dinner tonight and noticed that the instructions mention a shallot but there is no shallot listed in the ingredients. Just wanted to let you know! I hope one is all is called for because that's what I have on hand.

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 24, 2015 at 9:59 pm

      Thank you for catching that, Christina! I ended up not using the shallots but forgot to remove it feom the methods section. I'll update it now!

      Reply
  7. lynsey | lynseylovesfood says

    May 25, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    um wow. i think that is all i've got. speechless. xo

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 26, 2015 at 9:05 am

      Haha, I love this, Lynsey! :)

      Reply
  8. Celeste Jackson says

    May 26, 2015 at 8:47 am

    5 stars
    This looks delicious! Can't wait to try it!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 26, 2015 at 9:09 am

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  9. Nichole Kraft, Food Writing Copyeditor says

    May 26, 2015 at 9:22 am

    That cheese sauce looks delish, Ashley! My blender died recently, but I'll definitely give this a go once I get a new one. One question, though: Where do you buy your hemp hearts? I live in a very rural area, and sometimes it's hard to find those "exotic" ingredients. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      June 03, 2015 at 1:54 pm

      Hi, Nichole! I'm sorry for the delay; I've been a little slow to respond to comments lately. I buy my hemp hearts at Whole Foods. My favorite brand is Manitoba Harvest but they also carry them in bulk. Also, Trader Joe's recently started carrying them and Bob's Red Mill also carries hemp hearts in their line. When all else fails, I recommend grabbing a bag on Amazon! They have all sorts of tricky-to-find ingredients. I hope this helps and that you have a chance to make this dish!

      Reply
      • Nichole Kraft, Food Writing Copyeditor says

        June 03, 2015 at 2:06 pm

        No problem, Ashley! I understand how hectic things get. :)

        Thanks for the tips on finding hemp hearts. I had no idea Bob's Red Mill carries them. (Love that brand!) I'll keep an eye out for them at Whole Foods, as well. Our closest one is two hours away, so I always stock up on bulk goodies when we go. Gotta love the Whole Foods bulk section!

        Reply
  10. lindsey says

    May 26, 2015 at 9:32 pm

    We tried the spicy cauliflower rice with sweet poatotes too- and fell in love with it! Can't wait to try this cheesy recipe. Why the arrowroot powder?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      May 26, 2015 at 10:37 pm

      So glad you enjoyed the spicy cauliflower rice and sweet potatoes! The arrowroot is used to thicken the cheese sauce (similar to cornstarch but less processed and a little more effective).

      Reply
  11. Terri says

    June 26, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    5 stars
    This was simply amazing! Kudos. I omitted the red peppers but otherwise followed the recipe as listed. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Marlo says

    October 10, 2016 at 4:18 pm

    I wonder if the hemp can be substituted? I'm afraid t try t because of nut and seed allergies. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      October 22, 2016 at 6:13 pm

      Hi Marlo! I'm so sorry for the delay. Unfortunately, raw cashews are the only substitute for the hemp seeds that I've tested. You could try adding a bit of nut- and seed-free plant-based milk, but I'm not 100% certain it will turn out the same. I'm sorry I can't be of more help at the moment. The next time I make this recipe, I'll play around with substitutes!

      Reply
  13. Briana says

    November 16, 2016 at 12:21 am

    Hello there! Thank you for this recipe! I had a question about the apple cider vinegar, is there anything I could use to substitute this? I live in South Korea and this is pretty much the only thing i cannot buy here.

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      November 17, 2016 at 12:47 pm

      Hi, Briana! Yes, most white or light vinegars work as a substitute for the ACV (e.g., white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, even rice vinegar should work). I hope this helps. Enjoy! xo

      Reply
    • Ashley says

      November 17, 2016 at 12:47 pm

      Also, fresh lemon juice works too!

      Reply
  14. Shannon says

    March 14, 2017 at 10:10 am

    5 stars
    Hi Ashley, I whipped this up for lunch today and it was super amazing! I followed the recipe as written except that I used a pinch of garlic powder (sauteed for only 30 seconds) instead of the fresh garlic (I just didn't have any). I love the textures and flavors. I just used it as my main course and it was 2 servings that way. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  15. Wanda Beydoun says

    July 29, 2017 at 7:02 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe for dinner yesterday and needless to say..:LOVED IT! Nonetheless, the only thing I would say was that my blender would not rice the cauliflower. I ended up ricing the cauliflower using a small food processor. This suggestion would have saved me a way bigger mess. I was curious, is there anything you do particularly to rice cauliflower easily? Maybe my blender just sucks, I dk lol Overall though, I loved the recipe!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      July 29, 2017 at 8:18 am

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Wanda! I always rice my cauliflower using a food processor or hand grater (will add a note). Never have tried to rice it in the blender, but I imagine it wouldn't work out very well. In general, no matter how powerful the motor, blenders just aren't built to do anything but blend and purée! Ricing, grating, chopping, etc. is definitely a food processor's job! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback and notes!

      Reply
  16. Lydia says

    August 13, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    This looks like a very comforting recipe
    I was wondering if the 3 stalks meant one bunch of broccoli divided into 3 parts or something else?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      August 14, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Hi, Lydia! I usually use three large stalks/small heads of broccoli for this recipe. Hope this helps!

      Reply

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