Food waste is something I’m really conscious of. I do my best to make “kitchen sink” meals towards the end of the week when I need to use up bits and pieces from my produce drawer. Tofu scrambles, stir-fries, soups, and curries are a few of my favorite ways to keep leftover veggies out of the trash. Whatever I can’t eat, I freeze to use the following week. Lately I’ve been trying to use the entire vegetable when I make a meal – root to stem cooking, as the culinary pros call it. That’s where I got the idea for Spiralized Broccoli Mac & Cheese.
Until recently, I was totally guilty of tossing out broccoli stems. What a mistake! While not as colorful or flavorful as the florets, broccoli stems are just as nutritious. They’re chock full of calcium, iron, and vitamin C. Broccoli stems also happen to be the perfect size and shape for spiralizing. Broccoli noodles? Yes, please!
For this Spiralized Broccoli Mac & Cheese recipe I used the entire plant from top to bottom. While not as tender as zucchini “noodles,” spiralized broccoli stems have a surprisingly palatable texture. To make this a heartier meal, toss your broccoli noodles and florets with cooked gluten-free or whole-wheat pasta. Smothered in vegan "cheese" sauce, this might become your favorite way to eat your greens.
When grocery shopping, go for broccoli with the thickest stems you can find. The thicker the stem, the easier it is to spiralize. Luckily, these are usually the items that other shoppers leave behind. Bonus: broccoli with the stems attached is often cheaper per pound than broccoli crowns. If you see any thick stems broken off in the bin, scoop them up for extra spiralizing action.
Our Favorite
Spiralizer 5-Blade by Mealthy: Vegetable Slicer with Catch & Storage Container, Heavy Duty Base
$19.95
This post contains affiliate links.
Spiralized Broccoli Mac & Cheese
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, Side
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
For this Spiralized Broccoli Mac & Cheese recipe I used the entire plant from top to bottom. Smothered in vegan "cheese" sauce, this might become your favorite way to eat your greens.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. whole wheat or gluten-free pasta
- 1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
- ½ cup carrots, peeled and diced
- ⅓ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 3 small heads of broccoli with thick stems attached
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne, optional
- ½ cup water, plus more to blend (I added another ¼ cup)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the pasta. Cook according to package directions, drain, rinse, and return the pasta to the pot.
- Combine the potato, carrot, onion, cashews, and a cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the vegetables to cool a bit.
- Meanwhile, make the spiralized broccoli noodles. Slice the broccoli crowns off the thick stems and set them aside. Level off both ends of the broccoli stems and spiralize them into noodles. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut any extra-long strands into bite-sized pieces. Set broccoli noodles aside. Cut the broccoli into small florets and set aside.
- Once the vegetables have cooled, pour them into the blender along with any remaining water that’s in the pan. Add the salt, garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Pour ½ cup of water into the blender and blend on high until completely smooth. Add more water a tablespoon at a time as needed to keep the blender moving. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste.
- Warm a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the broccoli florets and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green and the water has cooked off.
- Pour in half of the sauce and stir to coat the broccoli. Turn the heat to low and add the broccoli noodles. Use tongs to gently toss the broccoli noodles in the sauce. Stir in the pasta along with the rest of the sauce. Serve warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 501
- Sugar: 12.9 g
- Sodium: 1046.2 mg
- Fat: 11.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 88.3 g
- Protein: 25.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Kristin
love the idea of spiralizing the stems! what a great way to make use of the whole head of broccoli. i used to love that velveeta broccoli mac and cheese when i was younger - this looks like a much better substitute!
Sarah De la Cruz
Oh, I think my kids would love this! They are already big broccoli fans! How fun to use the stems in this way!
Fran
Made this today and my cousin and I loved it. Thanks!
Katie Koteen
So glad to hear!!! We love it too 🙂
Lorena
Do you think it would work without potatoes or switching for cauliflower?
Katie Koteen
I think swapping for cauliflower would work just fine 🙂 Let us know how it goes!
Ashley
Is there a special tool for spiraling the broccoli? Could you elaborate on that step please. Thanks!!
Katie Koteen
Hey Ashley! Sorry about that. We do use a spiralizer for the broccoli and the one we like we just added to the post. You'll see it just above the recipe card. Hope that helps! And please let us know if you have any other questions!!!
John
This is nice way to put some additional nutrition in mac and cheese, especially for unsuspecting children.
Katie Koteen
Exactly! Anything covered in "cheese" sauce is a win over here!!