TL/DR – Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower. A delicious combination of garlic, thyme, lemon, fontina and Parmesan with macaroni and cauliflower pearls. This is a good way to sneak a veggie into a family favorite. –
Broccoli is my hero, but cauliflower is my nemesis. When I created this Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower, my goal was to keep the macaroni! Macaroni needs to stay in the recipe! If you are looking for Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese, this is not your recipe! Pre-packaged “cauliflower pearls” are a great product. I am not a huge fan of adding packaging to Earth’s landfills, so I still advocate for the food processor method. However, I work full time and have two small children. I need pearls. (And I recycle plastic film.)
This is a multi-step recipe that I like to make on the weekends. Start by cooking the pasta to al dente per the package directions. Three minutes before it’s set to be done, throw in the cauliflower pearls and allow to finish cooking, then drain and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, make the béchamel sauce. Start by sautéing the garlic in the butter for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the flour and make a roux, stirring for about a minute. Add the fresh thyme and lemon zest and cook for a bit longer, then stir in the milk, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
As soon as the milk begins to thicken, pull it from the heat and stir in the cheeses.
Stir the sauce into the drained noodles and cauliflower, place it all in an 8 x 8 baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350. You can barely tell there is cauliflower involved. Just the way I like it.
Try other interesting pasta recipes like Pesto with Fennel and Radishes, Pasta with Parsley and Anchovies, or pasta with Puttanesca Sauce.
Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 8 oz. elbow macaroni
- 1 1/2 c of precut cauliflower 'pearls' or 'rice'
- 2 T butter
- 1 clove garlic, very finely minced
- 2 T flour
- zest of one lemon
- 1T minced fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 c 2% milk
- 3/4 t kosher salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 c fontina cheese, shredded
- 1/2 c grated parmesan
- 1/2 c Panko crumbs
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Step 2 Cook macaroni according to the lower number of minutes on the package directions in a large saucepan with 1 T kosher salt added to the water.
- Step 3 3 minutes before the macaroni is done, add the cauliflower pearls to the boiling water and finish cooking.
- Step 4 Strain all and set aside.
- Step 5 As the macaroni cooks, start the Béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan on low heat and adding the minced garlic.
- Step 6 Allow the garlic to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Step 7 Turn the heat to medium, add the flour and whisk into a roux, cooking for 1 minute, then add the thyme and lemon zest and stir.
- Step 8 Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to stir frequently as the mixture starts to bubble and thicken.
- Step 9 As soon as thickening starts, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheeses.
- Step 10 Stir together the pasta/cauliflower mix with the Béchamel sauce.
- Step 11 Pour it into a lightly greased 8×8 baking dish and top with the Panko crumbs.
- Step 12 Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the edges are bubbly.
