Marinara is one of my absolute favorite condiments, sauces, and comfort foods. It's technically made for pasta but it is SO versatile and can be a great addition to just about any dish, and cooked vegetables tend to be one of my favorite vehicles for a good marinara sauce. Insert Cauliflower, which happens to be a veggie that you can basically pair with anything (cauli rice, cauli oats, cauli pizza crust, frozen cauli in smoothies). This whole marinara cauliflower turns into a delicious and comforting feast and reminds me of a mix between pasta, lasagna, zoodles and salad. It's so easy to plop the whole cauliflower into the slow cooker with just a few ingredients. The cooked cauliflower also stays very well for leftovers. I love mixing it into salads the next day. I can't wait to try other variations on this recipe (like curry). Enjoy!
If you don't have a slow-cooker or would rather not use it, you can also roast the cauliflower + sauce at 450 degrees F for 50-60 mins.
Ingredients
1 whole cauliflower head sliced in half (remove any greens from the bottom)
12 oz marinara sauce (I like Rao's and the Whole Foods brand but any sauce with no added sugar works!)
1 cup fresh spinach
2 T Olive Oil
2 tsp ghee
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T Pesto (This is optional but adds a nice basil taste - I like Gotham Greens Vegan Pesto)
Fresh basil (optional for topping)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
Feel free to add in any other fresh chopped veggies like red peppers, mushrooms, broccoli
Directions
Place cauliflower in slow cooker
Mix together marinara sauce, garlic, olive oil, and ghee (and pesto if you're including it)
Pour sauce over cauliflower and add spinach, onion and any other veggies into the slow cooker
Cook on high for 2-3 hours, cauliflower should be cooked-through and tender (every slow-cooker can vary in cooking times)
Remove cauliflower and remaining sauce from slow cooker
Serve warm on it's own or over fresh greens (also goes well with red wine)! It should stay in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.