Baked Cauliflower with Mashed Potatoes, glazed Carrots and Vegan Gravy
If you've clicked on this recipe, maybe Christmas is around the corner. Perhaps today is "just" a Sunday when you want to cook a classic, hearty meal. Or maybe it's just Tuesday, and you're
in the mood for this dish. No matter what situation you're in now – we're glad you want to take on a more elaborate project in the kitchen. And don't worry. We're always by your side!
Our star on today's plate today is cauliflower, a good friend at our blog, which we also like to turn into vegan chicken wings or a kind of bolognese sometimes. Today, it functions more as a roast substitute – some would call it "cauliflower steak." There are two ways to prepare cauliflower in this recipe.
1. Prepare the cauliflower as a whole: If you've been to this recipe page before, you'll notice that we've adjusted the recipe a bit. Previously, we baked the cauliflower as a whole. To do this, remove the leaves and the stalk, place it on a lined baking sheet and brush it with half of the marinade. Bake at 180°C/355°F for about 45 minutes – during this time, you should brush the cauliflower with the marinade every 15 minutes so that it doesn't get too dry.
2. Prepare the cauliflower in slices: "Nowadays" we prefer to cut the cauliflower into thick slices before baking. On the one hand, it becomes almost as soft as butter in the oven this way, but on the other hand, it also has more surface for seasoning and is not only coated on the outside with marinade. You will find the exact preparation for this in the recipe below. Of course, you can also opt for the first variant if you love the cauliflower's flavor and only want to cover it up with a manageable amount of marinade.
In both cases, you'll get sweet carrots, creamy mashed potatoes, and a plant-based gravy to go with it. Because we feel you'll have a little more time for gravy today, our "gravy classic" is based on vegetables, which is unbelievably delicious. But if you prefer a quick version, we also have a recipe for a quick brown gravy for you.
PS: If Christmas really is around the corner for you, we have many more vegan recipes for the holidays. From cookies to homemade potato dumplings, a lentil roast, and baked apples with vanilla sauce, you're sure to find the perfect recipe for you here.
Baked Cauliflower with Mashed Potatoes, glazed Carrots and Vegan Gravy
Ingredients
For the Cauliflower
- 1 cauliflower
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp mustard
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- salt
- pepper
For the Gravy
- 1 red onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 carrots
- 3 button mushrooms
- 150 g (5.25 oz) leek
- 2 tbsp wheat flour (type 405)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 50 ml (0.25 cup) vegan red wine
- 750 ml (3.25 cups) vegetable broth
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- neutral vegetable oil for frying
- salt
- pepper
- sugar
For the Glazed Carrots
- 6 carrots
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 tbsp sugar
- salt
- pepper
For the Mashed Potatoes
- 800 g (1.75 lb) potatoes
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) plant-based milk
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- salt
- pepper
- nutmeg
For Serving
- fresh parsley
Instructions
For the gravy, first peel onion, garlic, and carrots, clean button mushrooms, and remove the outer layer from the leek. Cut vegetables into rough pieces. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the vegetables for approx. 8–10 minutes until lightly roasted. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Add flour and tomato paste, combine, and fry for another 1–2 minutes. Then deglaze with vegan red wine and pour in vegetable broth. Stir in mustard, soy sauce, and agave syrup, and add rosemary sprigs and bay leaves to the gravy. Let everything simmer together for approx. 5–10 minutes.
Pour the gravy through a fine strainer into a second pot, filtering out the vegetables with the help of the strainer. Place the second pot back on the stove and let the gravy continue simmering over low heat until it reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard to taste, and keep warm until all other components are ready.
Preheat oven to 180 °C / 355 °F (fan). Remove outer leaves from the cauliflower and carefully cut the cauliflower into thick slices—it's best to keep the stem so the florets stay together. Then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Tip: Don't worry if your cauliflower slices don't hold together. They'll taste great as individual florets too!
For the marinade, mix olive oil, mustard, tomato paste, soy sauce, lemon juice, agave syrup, onion and garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Brush both sides of the cauliflower slices with the marinade—you should definitely have plenty of marinade left over afterwards.
For the glazed carrots, thoroughly clean the carrots, dry them, and halve lengthwise. Melt vegan butter and stir in sugar. Heat the mixture until the sugar has melted. Then add halved carrots to the pot and toss with the melted butter until coated all around. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake cauliflower at 180 °C / 355 °F (fan) on the middle rack for approx. 40 minutes. After half the baking time, remove cauliflower from the oven and brush both sides again with the remaining marinade. Now also place the glazed carrots on the baking sheet. Push back into the oven and bake together for the remaining 20 minutes.
During baking time, peel potatoes for the mashed potatoes and cut into small pieces. Place in a pot, cover with cold water, salt, and bring to a boil. Then cook for approx. 15–20 minutes until soft.
Drain cooked potatoes, let steam briefly, and mash thoroughly in a bowl. Mix with plant-based milk and vegan butter, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
Remove cauliflower and carrots from the oven and serve with mashed potatoes and vegan gravy. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.
