Everyone knows that I love anything that Mark Bittman does. So when I ran across this recipe two years ago, I absolutely had to try it. Bittman’s article, “Creamy Cauliflower Mac“, is genius- use pureed cauliflower in place of a bechamel! Not only does the recipe call for an entire head of cauliflower, it cuts out all butter and flour from the recipe! Oh the calories you save.
Apparently, Kraft sneaks freeze-dried cauliflower powder into its mac n’ cheese so Bittman figured he would make a vegetable-heavy, less caloric, unprocessed version of this popular American dish. When I made this recipe for the first time a while back, I followed it to a tee. It was good but the dijon mustard flavor over-powered everything so, this time, I decided to tweak it a bit.
I had a busy afternoon of cooking yesterday. In addition to this delectable mac n’ cheese, I made some homemade tortilla chips (post to follow) and another batch of the Ina Garten Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. It was a good day in the kitchen- something I have definitely been missing these past two weeks or so! Give this recipe a try and tweak as needed for your family. This is by far one of the sneakiest ways to slip in a big serving of vegetables without the kids knowing! You could even amp it up a bit more by adding broccoli florets in place of some of the pasta…
Creamy Cauliflower Mac n’ Cheese*
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the baking dish (I used Pam)
Salt
2 1⁄2 cups vegetable or chicken stock plus 2 cups water (I used the stock I had in my freezer)
1 cauliflower, cored and separated into large pieces
8 ounces elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut pasta, preferably whole wheat (I used gluten-free quinoa elbow pasta**)
1 ⁄2 cup grated fontina cheese
3/4 cup grated cheddar
6 scallions chopped, white and pale green only
1/2 tbsp- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, or to taste
1 ⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste
Black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, separated
Bread crumbs to cover casserole
Directions
Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking dish with a little Pam.
Pour chicken stock into a large pot and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and salt it (unless your stock is already pretty salty)
(I cooked the cauliflower in just the stock before adding 2 cups of water for the last 10 minutes of cooking. This is was because the liquid level got too low. Just add the 2 cups of water at the beginning to avoid having to do this)
Cook the cauliflower in the boiling stock/water until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes
Scoop the cauliflower out of the water with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a blender or food processor
Add the pasta to the boiling stock/water and cook until still somewhat chalky inside and not yet edible, about 5 minutes
Carefully process the cauliflower with 2 cups of the stock, the 2 tablespoons oil, fontina cheese, cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan, scallions, mustard, nutmeg, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper (I had to do this in two batches because I only have a 7-cup food processor)
If the sauce seems too thick, add the remaining 1⁄2 cup stock. Taste and adjust the seasoning
Pour the sauce into a large bowl and add the partially cooked pasta, toss, and spread the mixture evenly in the dish
Sprinkle the top with the 1/2 cup of Parmesan and bread crumbs if you’re using them. Bake until the pasta is bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, 15 to 20 minutes (check every 2-3 minutes after the 15 minute mark). Serve hot.
Makes 6 servings
WW Points: 9 points per serving
I made this batch yesterday and enjoyed a piece for lunch today. The fontina cheese is tangy and different and is nicely balanced out by the salty parmesan and creamy Cabot cheddar. I will definitely be making this more in the future!
*This is adapted from Mark Bittman’s version.
** Using the Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta and eliminating the bread crumbs on top make this a gluten free dish!