Cauli Macaroni Cheese Recipes

CAULIFLOWER & MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the macaroni following pack instructions, adding the cauliflower for the final 4 mins.
• Melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the flour and mustard powder and cook for 2 mins. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time to get a smooth sauce. Add three-quarters of the cheese and some seasoning to the sauce.
• Drain the macaroni and cauliflower and stir into the cheese sauce. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, then sprinkle over the remaining cheese and flash under a hot grill until golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad, if you like.

CAULI CHEESE MACARONI

Steps:

• Heat the grill to its highest setting and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for 4 mins, then add the cauliflower for a further 8 mins. Drain, reserving 100ml of the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium pan over a low heat and stir in the flour. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. Bubble for a few mins, then remove from the heat. Add the cheese, the reserved cooking water and seasoning to taste.
• Tip the pasta and cauliflower into a large casserole dish and stir through the cheese sauce. Mix together the garlic, breadcrumbs and thyme, and scatter over the top. Grill for 2-3 mins until bubbling.

CHEAT'S CAULI-MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta: Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Toss in the pasta and bring back to the boil, then cook for a couple of minutes. Tip in the cauliflower and cook for a further 8-10 minutes until both are tender.
• Make the sauce: Drain the pasta and cauliflower well. Put the crème fraîche, mustard and most of the cheese (keeping back a good handful) into the pasta pan. Stir and warm through over a low heat just until the cheese starts to melt.
• Finish the dish: Preheat the grill to hot. Tip the pasta and cauliflower into the cheese sauce and gently stir together. Season to taste. Transfer to a flameproof dish, scatter the tomatoes over the top, then the rest of the cheese and a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. Grill for about 5 minutes until brown and bubbling.

CAULIFLOWER MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
• Put a large shallow ovenproof casserole pan on a medium heat with the butter.
• Trim, halve, wash and slice the leek and add to the pan. Stir regularly while you trim, slice and add the celery, then trim, chop and add the fennel, if using.
• Break the cauliflower into florets, then cut into 2cm-thick slices and finely slice the stalk and any nice leaves. Add the stalk and leaves to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until soft but not coloured, stirring regularly.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes (5 if using macaroni). Reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water, drain the pasta and pour into a 25cm x 35cm baking dish (or divide between smaller ones), along with the cauliflower florets.
• Stir the flour into the veg pan for 30 seconds, then gradually pour in the milk, stirring all the time, followed by 500ml of water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the mustard and season with sea salt and black pepper.
• Let the sauce blip away until thickened while you coarsely grate the cheese.
• Stir the cheese into the sauce, then blitz until smooth with a hand blender, or in batches in a food processor.
• Pour over the pasta and cauliflower florets then, if you need to loosen it, add a little reserved pasta water - the sauce will thicken up as it bakes.
• Blitz your stale bread into crumbs in the processor (or smash up in a clean tea towel). Peel and grate the garlic. Pick the herb leaves, if using, and mix it all together with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
• Scatter the crumbs over the pasta, grating over more cheese, if you've got it, then bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

CAULIFLOWER "MAC" AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt.
• Spray the baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
• Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat between several layers of paper towels to dry. Transfer the cauliflower to the baking dish and set aside.
• Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, and whisk in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, salt, pepper and garlic and whisk just until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir to combine. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until browned and bubbly hot, about 15 minutes. Serve.

CAULI-MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, stir well, bring back to the boil and then cook, uncovered, for a couple of minutes. Tip in the cauliflower florets, bring back to the boil again and cook for a further 8-10 minutes until both the pasta and the cauliflower are tender but still firm to the bite. Drain well. Preheat a hot grill.
• Add the crème fraîche, mustard and all but a good handful of the cheese to the pasta pan. Stir over a low heat until the cheese just starts to melt. Tip the pasta and cauliflower into the cheese sauce and gently stir together. Season and transfer to a flameproof dish.
• Scatter the tomatoes over the top followed by the rest of the cheese and some pepper. Grill for about 5 minutes until browned and bubbling.