Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
This Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is rich, creamy, and flavorful. It is a lighter version of the classic mac and cheese. Pair it with a salad or my Banana yeast bread rolls for a weeknight supper.
If you'd like to go the classic route, try my Gouda mac and cheese recipe. It's so good! You'd be glad you did.
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If you want to indulge without feeling overwhelmed by the cheesy calories in classic Mac and Cheese, this creamy cauliflower Mac and Cheese recipe strikes the right balance for you. The cauliflower's rich flavor and creamy texture keep it in the comfort-food category.
Reasons to Love this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe:
- It's simple and easy to put together.
- Versatile: Although I baked mine, you don't have to go that far. We enjoyed it in its creamy texture right from the stovetop.
- It is excellent for a crowd! Just like my baked beans with ground beef recipe.
- This one-pot pasta recipe skips the classic béchamel method that uses butter, milk, and flour. Instead, we'll use a cauliflower sauce as the base for this Mac and Cheese. Trust me, you won't want to return to the classic version once you try this method. Plus, it reduces some of the carbs! Did someone say touchdown?! Lol.
- It is budget-friendly and family-friendly.
📃Ingredient Description
The main ingredients for this dish are:
- Macaroni: This is a classic pasta shape for mac and cheese. Its hollow tubes perfectly hold the creamy sauce. You can substitute it with other short pasta, like penne or shells.
- Cauliflower is another main ingredient in this dish. I recommend the yellow cauliflower, as it mimics the look of cheddar cheese. We are going to steam it and then blend it with the rest of the ingredients. White is fine if that's all you have.
- Cream: Heavy cream was blended with the cauliflower, yielding a thick and nutritious sauce for the pasta's base.
- Seasonings: I seasoned the sauce with a pinch of nutmeg and ample smoked paprika for a distinct flavor.
- Cheese: A blend of cheeses, such as gruyere, fontina, and sharp cheddar, was used to thicken the sauce and enhance the dish's taste.
Please refer to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
📝Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Bring vegetable broth to a boil, cook cauliflower florets until tender, drain and cool, then cook bacon until crisp.
Step 2: sauté shallots and garlic in the grease, combine with seasonings, and puree everything with cream, milk, nutmeg, and gruyere.
Step 3: Cook the elbow pasta according to the package instructions, drain, and mix with cauliflower sauce, cheese blend, and bacon bits.
Step 4: Transfer to individual cast iron pans, top with more cheese, bacon, and toasted breadcrumbs, and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and bubbly.
👩🏽🍳Maur's Tips
- Select densely packed cauliflower heads; avoid blemished or smelly ones.
- Both white and yellow cauliflowers are fine.
- Choose high-moisture cheeses with low melting points, such as fontina, Monterey Jack, cheddar, smoked Gouda, or gruyere.
- I recommend smoked gruyere for its nutty and sweet flavor.
- Add a handful of cheese blend for optimal flavor.
- Even though I topped my dish with shredded cheese because I ran out of fresh cheese, I wouldn't recommend using pre-shredded cheese, as it doesn't melt smoothly.
Great toppings for Mac and Cheese
Some people prefer their Mac and cheese plain, while others can't get enough crunchy toppings. I enjoy it with Italian-style panko bread crumbs and crispy bacon or lobster tail. Add chopped ham, crab meat, scallions, broccoli, or even more cheese, like grated Parmigiano Reggiano, if you want to elevate yours.
✅Recipe FAQS
Use a pasta-like macaroni (straight or elbow) with a good surface area to catch all the creamy sauce. Pasta such as shells, penne, orecchiette, ziti, rigatoni, rotelle, etc., are great choices too.
Yes, you can make the cheese sauce ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring to maintain a smooth texture. If it thickens, add a splash of milk or pasta water, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Cheddar is a classic choice for mac and cheese because it melts well and provides a sharp, tangy flavor. However, multiple types of cheese can elevate your dish. Examples are Gouda, gruyere, and Parmesan, to mention a few.
Love One-Pot Dishes? Here are some tasty one-pot dishes to try:
Have you given this recipe or any other from my website a try? Please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and sharing your experience in the 📝 comments section. Your feedback means the world to me, and I'm excited to hear from you!
PEACE & LOVE
Maureen
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📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (with Cauliflower sauce)
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 tasteSpoon 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.
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