diff --git a/Block/Menu.php b/Block/Menu.php
index 4b03b964..4bb20e0a 100644
--- a/Block/Menu.php
+++ b/Block/Menu.php
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 class Menu extends Template implements DataObject\IdentityInterface
 {
     const XML_SNOWMENU_GENERAL_CUSTOMER_GROUPS = 'snowmenu/general/customer_groups';
+    const XML_SNOWMENU_GENERAL_CACHE_TAGS = 'snowmenu/general/cache_tags';
 
     /**
      * @var MenuRepositoryInterface
@@ -84,6 +85,11 @@ class Menu extends Template implements DataObject\IdentityInterface
      */
     private $httpContext;
 
+    /**
+     * @var array
+     */
+    private $nodeTypeCaches = [];
+
     /**
      * @SuppressWarnings(PHPMD.ExcessiveParameterList)
      */
@@ -97,6 +103,7 @@ public function __construct(
         ImageFile $imageFile,
         Escaper $escaper,
         Context $httpContext,
+        array $nodeTypeCaches = [],
         array $data = []
     ) {
         parent::__construct($context, $data);
@@ -110,6 +117,7 @@ public function __construct(
         $this->setTemplate($this->getMenuTemplate($this->_template));
         $this->submenuTemplate = $this->getSubmenuTemplate();
         $this->httpContext = $httpContext;
+        $this->nodeTypeCaches = $nodeTypeCaches;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -119,11 +127,22 @@ public function __construct(
      */
     public function getIdentities()
     {
-        return [
+        $tags = [
             \Snowdog\Menu\Model\Menu::CACHE_TAG . '_' . $this->loadMenu()->getId(),
             Block::CACHE_TAG,
             \Snowdog\Menu\Model\Menu::CACHE_TAG
         ];
+        if (!$this->canGatherEntityCacheTags()) {
+            return $tags;
+        }
+        foreach ($this->nodeTypeCaches as $provider) {
+            $entityCacheTags = $this->nodeTypeProvider->getProvider($provider)->getEntityCacheTags();
+            if (!empty($entityCacheTags)) {
+                $tags = array_merge($tags, $entityCacheTags);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $tags;
     }
 
     protected function getCacheLifetime()
@@ -481,19 +500,11 @@ private function fetchData()
         }
 
         foreach ($types['category'] as $nodes) {
-            if ($nodes['node']->getContent() == 20) {
-                $nodes['node']->setHideCategoryIfEmpty(true);
-            }
-            /** @var \Snowdog\Menu\Block\NodeType\Category $categoryProvider */
-            if (!$nodes['node']->getHideCategoryIfEmpty()) {
-                continue;
-            }
             $categoryProvider = $this->nodeTypeProvider->getProvider('category');
             $productCount = $categoryProvider->getCategoryProductCount($nodes['node']->getNodeId());
             if (empty($productCount)) {
                 [$level, $parent, $idx] = $nodes['path'];
                 unset ($this->nodes[$level][$parent][$idx]);
-                //todo unset children
             }
         }
     }
@@ -530,6 +541,15 @@ private function getSubmenuTemplate()
         return $this->getMenuTemplate($baseSubmenuTemplate);
     }
 
+    private function canGatherEntityCacheTags()
+    {
+        if (!$this->_scopeConfig->isSetFlag(self::XML_SNOWMENU_GENERAL_CACHE_TAGS)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return !empty($this->nodeTypeCaches);
+    }
+
     public function getCustomerGroupId()
     {
         return $this->httpContext->getValue(\Magento\Customer\Model\Context::CONTEXT_GROUP);
diff --git a/Block/NodeType/Category.php b/Block/NodeType/Category.php
index 5d94aefa..5722ecb7 100644
--- a/Block/NodeType/Category.php
+++ b/Block/NodeType/Category.php
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ class Category extends AbstractNode
      * @var array
      */
     private $categories;
+    /**
+     * @var array
+     */
+    private $cacheTags;
 
     /**
      * @var array
@@ -112,7 +116,8 @@ public function fetchData(array $nodes)
             $this->nodes,
             $this->categoryUrls,
             $this->categories,
-            $this->categoryProductCounts
+            $this->categoryProductCounts,
+            $this->cacheTags
         ] = $this->_categoryModel->fetchData($nodes, $storeId);
 
     }
@@ -226,4 +231,9 @@ public function getLabel()
     {
         return __("Category");
     }
+
+    public function getEntityCacheTags()
+    {
+        return $this->cacheTags;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/Model/NodeType/Category.php b/Model/NodeType/Category.php
index 5c0193f4..e80ab876 100644
--- a/Model/NodeType/Category.php
+++ b/Model/NodeType/Category.php
@@ -123,10 +123,11 @@ public function fetchData(array $nodes, $storeId)
         $categoryUrls = $this->getResource()->fetchData($storeId, $categoryIds);
         $categories = $this->getCategories($storeId, $categoryIds);
         $categoryProductCounts = $this->getResource()->getCategoriesProductCount($categoryIds);
+        $cacheTags = preg_filter('/^/', 'cat_c_p' . '_', $categoryIds);
 
         $this->profiler->stop(__METHOD__);
 
-        return [$localNodes, $categoryUrls, $categories, $categoryProductCounts];
+        return [$localNodes, $categoryUrls, $categories, $categoryProductCounts, $cacheTags];
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/Model/ResourceModel/NodeType/Category.php b/Model/ResourceModel/NodeType/Category.php
index bb6d4fb9..e269401c 100644
--- a/Model/ResourceModel/NodeType/Category.php
+++ b/Model/ResourceModel/NodeType/Category.php
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 use Magento\Framework\App\ResourceConnection;
 use Magento\Framework\EntityManager\MetadataPool;
 use Magento\Store\Model\Store;
+use Zend_Db_Expr;
 
 class Category extends AbstractNode
 {
@@ -111,15 +112,12 @@ public function getCategoriesProductCount($categoryIds = [])
     {
         $productTable = $this->getConnection()->getTableName('catalog_category_product');
 
-        $select = $this->getConnection()->select()->from(
-            ['main_table' => $productTable],
-            ['main_table.category_id', new \Zend_Db_Expr('COUNT(main_table.product_id)')]
-        )->where(
-            'main_table.category_id IN (?)', $categoryIds
-        )->group('main_table.category_id');
-
-        $counts = $this->getConnection()->fetchPairs($select);
+        $select = $this->getConnection()
+            ->select()
+            ->from($productTable, ['category_id', new Zend_Db_Expr('COUNT(product_id)')])
+            ->where('category_id IN (?)', $categoryIds)
+            ->group('category_id');
 
-        return $counts;
+        return $this->getConnection()->fetchPairs($select);
     }
 }
diff --git a/etc/adminhtml/system.xml b/etc/adminhtml/system.xml
index 0cd14336..543dfb41 100644
--- a/etc/adminhtml/system.xml
+++ b/etc/adminhtml/system.xml
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@
                     <comment>Controls serving different menus to different customer groups</comment>
                     <source_model>Magento\Config\Model\Config\Source\Yesno</source_model>
                 </field>
+                <field id="cache_tags" translate="label" type="select" sortOrder="20" showInDefault="1" showInWebsite="1" showInStore="1">
+                    <label>Gather node entities cache tags</label>
+                    <comment>Controls menu caching mechanisms. Enabling this will allow for gathering cache tags from menu nodes, which allows handling menus that are heavily dependent on e.g. category contents - see https://github.com/SnowdogApps/magento2-menu/discussions/317</comment>
+                    <source_model>Magento\Config\Model\Config\Source\Yesno</source_model>
+                </field>
             </group>
         </section>
     </system>
diff --git a/etc/di.xml b/etc/di.xml
index bf2f437f..c46b4223 100644
--- a/etc/di.xml
+++ b/etc/di.xml
@@ -74,4 +74,12 @@
             <argument name="validator" xsi:type="object">Snowdog\Menu\Model\ImportExport\Processor\Import\Node\Validator\Proxy</argument>
         </arguments>
     </type>
+
+    <type name="Snowdog\Menu\Block\Menu">
+        <arguments>
+            <argument name="nodeTypeCaches" xsi:type="array">
+                    <item name="category" xsi:type="string">category</item>
+            </argument>
+        </arguments>
+    </type>
 </config>