Photo: Cauliflower Mac N Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound short cut pasta (recommended: macaroni, ziti or penne rigate or, whole wheat or whole grain pasta)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour
- About 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh sage leaves, very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup sharp white Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmigiano cheese
- 1 small bundle watercress, washed and chopped
Directions
Bring water to a boil for pasta. Salt the water and undercook the pasta by 2 minutes, about 5 to 6 minutes.
While the water comes to a boil, in a covered Dutch oven heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Cut the core away from the cauliflower and set the head into the pot and add 1 cup stock, cover and steam 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Remove and separate the cauliflower into florets. Discard water from pot.
Over medium heat in the same pot, melt the butter, then add onions and garlic. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Add in the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in the whole milk and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sage. When thickened, stir in the Dijon mustard and 2/3 of the combined cheeses.
Drain the pasta, add to the cauliflower, stir in the cheese sauce, transfer to baking dish, top with remaining cheese. Cool completely and cover for a make-ahead meal.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake until brown on a baking sheet to catch the bubble-over. The casserole will take 40 to 45 minutes to heat through.
Garnish bowls of cauli-mac-n-cheese with chopped spicy watercress.
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By JUDYREAL
Port Charlotte, 48
on January 27, 2013
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Very good! I used a combination of non-fat 1/2 and 1/2 and evaporated skim milk in place of the whole milk (none on hand. I used corkskrew pasta (cavateppi. My husband thought that the dish could be "cheesier" but I thought it was perfect....
By LaurieMA
Amherst, MA
on January 12, 2013
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This is a rich and delicious mac and cheese made somewhat lighter by the addition of the cauliflower! I didn't follow the recipe exactly; I used what was on hand-- a bit of Colby/jack and Jarlsberg, in place of the sharp cheddar and Gruyere. I found some fresh sage after I had already added dried rubbed sage; it was still yummy! It seems like the type of recipe that is quite adaptable. Definitely worth trying.
By donnamae_1779912
Freehold, NJ
on January 05, 2013
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My kids love this and they eat the cauliflower. The reason I gave it a 4 instead of a five is because I don't throw away the chicken stock. I'm not sure why she says to throw out the water when it call to steam the cauliflower in chicken stock. It may just be an editing problem with the recipe. Also, like another reviewer I don't understand why it calls for olive oil when you steam the cauliflower so I skip that part too.
It is just yummy with so much more flavor, light years better than the junk out of a box or from the freezer.
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