Cauliflower Gnocchi Veggie Bake
Prep & cook time: 
45 mins      
Serves: 
6

I think it goes without saying that gnocchi is an extremely delightful meal. Combine this with a crunchy baked top found from an oven bake and you certainly will be in heaven. Here is a twist on the classic gnocchi with a cauliflower instead of potato base and I added in some carrot just for fun.

Ingredients
  • 3 C riced cauliflower*
  • 2 C shredded mozzarella,
    melted
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 C parmesan
  • 1/3 C + 2 tbsp C whole wheat flour
  • 45g butter
  • 1 C milk
  • 3/4 C nutritional yeast
  • 1 carrot,
    chopped
  • 4 mini mushrooms,
    sliced
  • 1 C breadcrumbs
Cauliflower gnocchi bake
Method
  1. Steam riced cauliflower in the microwave for 3 minutes. Use a kitchen towel to squeeze excess liquid and place in a bowl. Add egg yolks, 1 C parmesan and 1/3 C of whole wheat flour to the bowl and combine. Season. Mix in mozzarella.
  2. Assemble mixture in 4 balls and put in the fridge for 10 minutes or until firm. Roll balls into logs and slice into smaller gnocchi size portions. Place back into fridge.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Make the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter and then add remaining flour and mix. Cook the mixture for 2 minutes or until mixture is crumbly in microwave. Add the milk initially very slowly, continually stirring. As mixture becomes smoother, milk can be added at a faster rate but if done too early, sauce will be chunky. Cook this mixture on high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Sauce should be thick but runny enough to spread when poured.
  4. Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 1 minute. Drain and spoon into a casserole dish. Mix nutritional yeast into the bechamel sauce. Spoon 3/4 of the bechamel, the carrot and the mushrooms into the dish. Spread the remaining cheese over the dish. Pour the remaining bechamel on top and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Place in oven for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Enjoy!
NOTES

*You can rice cauliflower in a few ways. For me, I just use a cheese grater but there is the option is use a food processor too.

At the end, you have a delicious, cheesy and piping hot pasta dish ready to consume.

Extra Comments

If you made this recipe, leave a comment to let us know how you went! Add a picture of your final result or post a picture on instagram and tag me@danibianchi_.