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    Home » Recipes » Lunch/Dinner » Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with Cauliflower sauce)

    Published: Jan 15, 2020 · Modified: Feb 22, 2022 by Maureen Celestine with 1 Comment

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with Cauliflower sauce)

    This Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is rich, creamy, and it’s full of flavor. Pair with a side of salad or any leafy green for a weeknight supper.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you are looking to indulge but not feel overwhelmed by the number of cheesy calories in the classic Mac and Cheese, then this creamy cauliflower Mac and Cheese recipe is the right balance for you. The rich taste and creamy texture of the cauliflower retain its ranking as comfort food. 

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with cauliflower sauce)

    This one-pot pasta dish recipe doesn’t call for the classic bechamel method, where you make use of butter, milk, and flour. Instead of the milk and flour sauce, we will be using cauliflower sauce as the base for this Mac and Cheese. Trust, you won’t go back to the classic once you’ve tried this method, plus it cuts down some of the carbs- Did you say touchdown? Lol.

    Before we delve into the easy man and cheese recipe, there are a few things you need to know, so you can grab the right ingredients while you are out grocery shopping.

    Tips for the best Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

    Picking Cauliflower: 

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with cauliflower sauce)

    When selecting the head of cauliflower, go for the ones with densely packed heads, steer clear of the curds with blemishes, spots, or awful odor as it’s a sign of decay. The white or yellow cauliflower head is perfectly fine for this recipe. 

    What Cheese should I use for Mac and Cheese? 

    Cheese is essential when making Mac and Cheese recipes, so you should use the right one. 

    cauliflower Mac and Cheese
    Image credit: Canva.com

    Choose a block of cheese with high moisture and a good melting point — cheese like Fontina, mozzarella,  sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, gruyere, parmesan. I used apple-smoked gruyere to add a nutty and sweet flavor to the cauliflower sauce. I also used a hand full of five cheese blends to get the perfect melting point. 

    READ: Please DO NOT use pre-shredded cheese as it has been coated and doesn’t yield a creamy result; neither does it melt quickly.

    Use block cheese and grate it yourself, thank me later. While preparing this recipe, I ran out of blocked cheese and used a tiny portion of melted cheese I had in the fridge. See the picture below for the outcome. The crunch was the bomb tho 🙂 

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with cauliflower sauce)

    What type of Pasta should I use for Mac and Cheese:

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with cauliflower sauce)

    Use a pasta-like macaroni (straight or elbow) with a good surface area to catch all the creamy sauce. Pasta’s such as shells, penne, orecchiette, ziti, rigatoni, rotelle e.t.c

    Great toppings for Mac and Cheese:

    Some people like their Mac and Cheese without any topping, while others swear by the crunchy toppings.

    I like mine with Italian-style panko bread crumbs and some crispy bacon or lobster tail. Other toppings that might give your cauliflower Mac and Cheese an extra oomph are chopped ham, crab meat, scallions, broccoli, more cheese-like grated Parmigiano Reggiano e.t.c

    This creamy cauliflower Mac and Cheese will please adults and kids alike. I do hope you give it a try. Click on the recipe card to get the detailed recipe. 

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with cauliflower sauce)

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    Did you make this healthy mac and cheese recipe? Share with us on Instagram using the hashtag worldlytreat(#worldlytreat); we’d love to see what you made. Don’t forget to pin it for later.

     

    Peace & Love

    Maureen

    Click Here to Save it for Later

    📖 Recipe

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with cauliflower sauce)

    Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with Cauliflower sauce)

    This Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is rich, creamy, and it’s full of flavor. It's the perfect dinner for a relaxing weekend.
    5 from 21 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 33 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 53 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 699kcal
    Author: Maureen Celestine

    Ingredients

    • 8 .oz elbow pasta (about 2 cups)
    • 1 medium head Cauliflower (about 1lb 5oz)
    • 4 Cups vegetable Broth 
    • 5 bacon strips
    • 2 Shallots
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 1 teaspoon  ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon  salt
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ½ cup  Heavy cream
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • ½ cup  shredded smoked Gruyère
    • 1 cup  Cheese blend
      (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Fontina or Gouda) + more for topping
    • ½ cup Panko bread crumbs (Italian style, recommended).

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray 3 mini cast iron pans or casserole dish with cooking spray. 



    PREPARE THE CAULIFLOWER SAUCE

    • Pour the vegetable broth into a medium pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
      Core, Wash and Cut the cauliflower into florets and add to the broth. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a tight lid, and cook for 8 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain the cauliflower and reserve the broth for later. Set aside to cool slightly.



    • Layout the bacon strips without overlapping in a cold skillet. Cook over medium heat for 6 mins (3 mins on each side). Turn the strips as needed until they reach the desired crispness.



      Drain well on a paper-towel-lined plate. Chop into bits. Set aside



    • Meanwhile, place the chopped shallots, in the bacon grease and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Add garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. 



    • Add the salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika to the shallot mixture and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Remove from the heat.

      (optional) Toast the bread crumbs in the bacon grease for 2 minutes and set aside for later.



    • Using a heavy-duty blender, puree the cauliflower, shallot mixture, heavy cream, milk, nutmeg,  and gruyere. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.



    COOK THE PASTA

    • Bring the remaining vegetable broth to a boil and cook the elbow pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return to saucepan.

    BAKE

    • Ladle the cauliflower sauce into the pan with pasta, add the cheese blend, and bacon bits and combine. At this point, you can add more milk if it’s not as creamy as you would like. Adjust to taste
      Spoon the pasta into an individual cast iron pan or casserole dish. Top with more cheese (parmesan), bacon,  and toasted breadcrumbs. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the top is bubbly and golden. Remove from oven and serve. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 | Calories: 699kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 1058mg | Potassium: 779mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 780IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 352mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @WorldlyTreat or tag #worldlytreat!

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    1. Creamy vegan cashew sauce - WORLDLY TREAT says:
      February 25, 2021 at 12:03 am

      […] Thanks to the nutritional yeast in it, it gets a cheesy flavor. So, you can use it to make vegan mac n cheese. […]

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    Maureen celestine

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