Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Casserole

I've been a vegetarian my whole life, so never really tasted buffalo sauce until recently.  Buffalo cauliflower became a popular option in the past several years and I have to admit, I love it!  I can't believe I've been missing out on this flavor.  But of course, buffalo cauliflower doesn't really seem like a meal.  I've had it as tacos before to make it more meal-like.  And now, I've found a new way to round this out into a meal... buffalo cauliflower casserole!

You all, this was so delicious!  It's vegan, gluten free, and pretty healthy.  It's also easy.  It does take some time in the over but most of the time is inactive so you can do other things while the casserole is cooking.  I started with the recipe I found on From My Bowl.  I only made some small adjustments.

Ingredients
 

• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 
• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (read the ingredients to check it's dairy free) 
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/2 a medium onion, finely chopped (the original recipe used celery but I hate celery)
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (the original recipe uses 2 cups of cooked chickpeas)
• 1/2 medium head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice 
• Vegan ranch dressing and chopped green onions, for garnish (Optional) 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat the broth, hot sauce, nutritional yeast, and onion powder in a medium pot over high heat until it comes to a boil. 
2. Pour the chickpeas in a 9×13″ casserole dish. Next layer the cauliflower and onion on top. Last, add the uncooked brown rice.
3. Remove the vegetable broth from the heat once it comes to a boil and pour the liquid evenly over the casserole dish. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 75 minutes. The original recipe said 60 minutes but the rice in ours was definitely not done at the 60 minute mark.
4. Remove from the oven and top with green onions and/or vegan ranch. 

And that's it!  If I made this again, I would probably add some green veggies (finely chopped broccoli or kale) to the casserole as well.  Serve it with a salad and it makes for a great meal.

Anyone else have a love of buffalo sauce that they try to indulge in creative ways?  I'd love to hear about it :)