Vegetable Au Gratin: A Dairy Free Version of a Classic

Last Updated on September 26, 2023 by Amanda Brooks

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Vegetables are usually relegated to an afterthought as a side dish to the main meal, but once I started focusing on eating the ideal 7-9 servings of fruits and veggies daily this changed around our house. While potatoes are always a crowd pleaser, sometimes it’s fun to mix things up and surprise everyone with a dish that is warm, satisfying, filled with vegetables and creamy without a bit of dairy!

Growing up in the Midwest I learned the art of the casserole, so it took me only minutes to turn this Vegetable Au Gratin in to a main course with the addition of shrimp in my serving and chicken in my husbands. For those not as familiar with the idea of one dish cooking, Wikipedia says a casserole is:

Casseroles usually consist of pieces of meat (such as chicken) or fish (such as tuna), various chopped vegetables, a starchy binder such as flour, potato or pasta, and, often, a crunchy or cheesy topping.

Vegan Vegetables Au Gratin

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored Silk Pure Almond milk (or more as needed to thin out)
6 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp vegan butter spread
1 tbsp almond flour (gluten free option)
1 tbsp cashew butter (I recommend Once Again Nut Butter – it’s very clean)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ spaghetti squash
1 zucchini shredded
1 head cauliflower steamed

Instructions

Break cauliflower in to pieces and steam (approx. 5-6 minutes)
Cook spaghetti squash
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds.
- Put a tablespoon or two of water inside the squash
- Put in a microwave safe dish
- Cook for 10-12 minutes depending on size
Slice zucchini in to thin strips
Melt butter
Add to the butter all remaining ingredients: almond milk, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, cashew butter, salt and pepper
Spray oven safe dish
Fill with cauliflower and zucchini
Pour butter mixture over cauliflower and zucchini
Cook 20-25 min at 375 – Watch for cauliflower to get a nice golden brown
Serve over spaghetti squash

One quick stir and this dish becomes a creamy creation!

Nutrition
Using Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla is a dietary choice for me because of a dairy intolerance, but has a few other benefits:

Serving size is 1 cup at 92 calories, compared to the average (non-cheesy) cauliflower au gratin which is ¾ cup for 145 calories using skim milk and cheese.
0 grams of sugar
45% DV of calcium
No saturated fat or cholesterol
100% free of lactose
Completely free of GMOs