I make a homemade baked “mac” and cheese with cauliflower florets instead of noodles. I blanch the cauliflower florets in a pot of boiling water, then drain and put them into a casserole baking dish. Then I make the cheese roux and when it’s ready, I dump that in over the cauliflower florets in the baking dish, and stir it until it’s well mixed. Then I sprinkle some panko breadcrumbs over the top, and bake for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. For an extra bit of flavor, I will sometimes saute a pint basket of mushrooms, quartered, in a little bit of olive oil and chopped onions until they are just browned, and throw them into the mix before I bake it.
This recipe for Classic Mac and Cheese shows you how to make the roux. Just make sure you keep whisking it, then take it off the heat before you add in the shredded cheese.
I also make another casserole that is similar to lasagna, but without noodles. I change this up and use different veggies, or combos of veggies including cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. I will saute the veggies in a little bit of olive oil and diced onions until they are just fork tender. You can use any kind of pasta sauce that you like, either marinara or Alfredo, or I really like Trader Joe’s Autumnal Harvest. I just pour some of the sauce in the bottom of the baking pan, add a layer of veggies, add a layer of ricotta cheese, add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese, and just keep layering it up until you get to the top. I use a cylinder shaped baking dish that is about 8 inches tall and and 8 inches across. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, depending upon the size of your casserole dish.
Another thing I make often is grilled portobello mushroom “burgers”. Here is a recipe for mushroom burgers with Sundried Tomatoes and Wilted Spinach I would also add a slice of cheese to this.
I make a lot of Vegetarian Chili. This recipe can be made in a crock pot or on the stove. I also like to add Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles. You can also make spaghetti and pour chili on top of it, for a different variation.
I love pizza. I get frozen cheese pizzas and then add different things on top such as sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, mushrooms, kalamata olives, broccoli, or jalapenos. Sometimes I will get pre-made pizza crusts and add my own sauce, cheese, and toppings. Other times I will get pre-made fresh pizza dough and roll it out, then add the toppings and bake.
I make a lot of homemade vegetarian enchiladas. I do it the easy way, using flour tortillas that I just roll up with the contents, and load them into a baking dish and pour the sauce over and add shredded cheese and bake. At different times I will use different fillings including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, black beans, pinto beans, or fake burger crumbles. With the cauliflower and sweet potatoes, I saute them first, until they are fork tender, otherwise they won’t cook properly, or will steam instead of roasting. You can make your own Homemade Enchilada Sauce (you can use vegetable broth if you like) or you can use canned sauce, which is what I do.
Here is a recipe that I love and should make it more often. It’s a Middle Eastern dish, that is common in Lebanon and Greece, called Shakshuka which is baked eggs in spicy tomato sauce.