This Baked Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese is my new obsession for five reasons.
- First, it does not require pre-cooking the macaroni or heating the liquid. A longstanding pet peeve of mine, I absolutely hate waiting for pasta water to boil. (Raise your hand if you love boiling macaroni and dirtying a pot when you make mac ‘n cheese. Hmm, I thought so. No hands raised.) Impatient as I am, heating milk and making bechamel for macaroni and cheese is not my favorite way to spend time. You do neither of those steps in this recipe.
- Second, it is infinitely variable. Although it calls for particular types of cheese, you can always change the cheeses up, as long as the substitutes are of similar consistency to the ones you’re subbing them for. And if you want to add additional seasonings or put more of one called for in the liquid or on the top, go right ahead.
- Third, you can make the components ahead of time or reheat the casserole. Put the liquid/cheese and topping parts of this easy dish in the refrigerator overnight and pull them out the next day to make the casserole fresh. Or make it the day before and reheat gently. I’ve done both.
- Fourth, the dish includes cauliflower. That means you can count it as both a carb and a vegetable dish if you’re so inclined. Or you can fool kids who swear they won’t eat cauliflower by giving them this and simply calling it baked macaroni and cheese. The cauliflower makes it healthier than traditional macaroni and cheese without sacrificing flavor.
- It has a crunchy top and a soft middle. I’m a huge fan of crunch and this dish has that for sure. But it also has a dreamy, soft middle. Talk about a combination made in heaven!
Why This Recipe Works
The liquid is key. And so is letting the casserole sit before baking it.
Like my vegetable kugel recipes (Kale, Spinach, and Mushroom Kugel and Savory Broccoli Carrot Kugel), this casserole uses liquid to “magically” cook the noodles during baking, without boiling them first. Traditionally, noodles have to be boiled in a macaroni and cheese before baking them in the cheese sauce. Both Southern Living‘s “classic, macaroni and cheese” and Leite’s Culinaria “macaroni au gratin” look delicious, but they require this step.
This recipe, an adaptation of one from the New York Times Cooking recipe called “Creamy Macaroni and Cheese” (behind a paywall, so I haven’t linked to it) does not require cooking the noodles first.
Also, most macaroni and cheese recipes require heating the dairy (liquid), and either adding it to a bechamel sauce or to the noodles. Both the referenced Southern Living and Leite’s Culinaria recipes have that step. But this recipe does not. You simply blend the milk, cheese, and seasonings together and pour them over the macaroni and cauliflower bits. Then you let it sit (on the counter) before baking.
Tips for Making Baked Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
- Use low-fat if you must, but don’t use nonfat milk or cheese. Fat is your friend in this case. Eat a smaller portion if you must, but don’t use skim milk/cheese or the casserole won’t taste like much.
- Shred, chop, or grate the cheese yourself. Don’t buy pre-shredded cheese. Ever. Although not every pre-shredded cheese is terrible, from a nutrition, ingredient, or processing standpoint (I checked some with the Environmental Working Group’s food scoring system), virtually or every one contains some additive to prevent caking. Why use pre-shredded when you can easily shred, chop. or grate your own?
- Whether microwaving or steaming the cauliflower, get rid of excess water. If you don’t get rid of the excess water before adding the cauliflower, it will seep out of the finished casserole or dilute the cheesiness. Either is undesirable.
- Check the casserole as it cooks. All ovens are different and the cooking time is only approximate.
- Make a half recipe if you’re only feeding 2-3 adults or 2 adults and 1-2 kids. This casserole is big. It uses a lot of cheese and milk. If you’re only feeding a small group, feel comfortable cutting it in half or by a third and making it in an 8 or 9-inch casserole.
The Basics of Making Baked Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
- The Ingredients. They may look intimidating, but they’re combined in quickly and simply.
- The Base. Cook the cauliflower, then combine it with the macaroni and put it in the oiled casserole.
- Add the liquid (milk, seasoning and cheeses). Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes, then bake covered. Make the topping while the casserole bakes in this first stage. Take the cover off the casserole after 30 minutes and gently move the liquid around. Add the topping and bake (the second stage) until the topping browns and the liquid bubbles.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes, then cut and enjoy!
How to Make the Dish Ahead of Time
- Cook the cauliflower pieces, drain them.
- Make the mixture of milk and cheeses.
- Make the topping.
- Refrigerate all three of those elements, and measure out the macaroni.
- When you want to bake the casserole (the next morning, or later that day), combine and cooked cauliflower and the uncooked macaroni and add the milk/cheese mixture. Take it from there.
Baked Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
A quick and delicious way to put cauliflower in your macaroni and cheese.
Ingredients
Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese Base
- 1 tablespoon oil (any type)
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni or other small pasta of approxmiately that size
- 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces about the size of the macaroni About 3 & 1/2 cups/1 lb/454 g
- 1 & 1/2 – 1&3/4 cup ricotta or cottage cheese (preferably full fat but part skim also works) Ricotta I used was 15 oz./425 g
- 4 cups milk (preferably full fat, but part skim also works) 1000 ml
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard
- 1 large pinch ground red pepper (cayenne)
- 1 large pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (ground)
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (or a bit more to taste)
- 1 & 1/2 pounds hard cheese, preferably sharp or extra sharp cheddar, possibly mixed with some parmesan or Romano, grated, chopped small or shredded 678 g
Topping
- 2 cups Panko (crispy Japanese-style breadcrumbs) 5 & 1/2 oz/158 g
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 oz/30 g
- 2 tablespoons goat cheese or cream cheese, at room temperature 1 oz/30 g
- 1/4 cup cheddar or other hard cheese, grated, chopped small, or shredded 1 oz/30 g
Instructions
Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese Base
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Oil the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch pan (23 x 33 cm). Set pan aside and preheat oven to 375° F/190° C with a rack in the middle or upper third of the oven.
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Microwave (with cover) or steam the cauliflower. I microwaved mine for 4 minutes, stirring halfway through and let it rest for 1 minute afterwards. Drain out any excess water, then mix with macaroni and spread evenly over the pan and set aside.
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Combine the milk, seasonings, and cheeses. Put them in a blender and combine them at medium speed. See note. Once combined, pour it over the macaroni and cauliflower, gently poke a few holes (to make sure the liquid is well dispersed) and let the casserole sit on the counter for 10 minutes.
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Tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Topping
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While casserole is baking, make the topping by combining the panko, butter, cream or goat cheese and the hard cheese. Initially you can use a fork but by the end, use your hands to achieve a well-combined mixture.
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Take the pan out of the oven, remove the aluminum foil cover, and gently stir it to make sure the liquid reaches all parts of the casserole. After the stirring, add the topping in an even layer over the base. Return the pan to the oven and cook for about another 30 minutes, until the topping is browned and the milk/cheese mixture is bubbling at the edges. Let the casserole stand for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Recipe Notes
I found it easiest to chop my cheese in a food processor. It doesn’t matter what shape the cheese is in, grated, shredded, or chopped, because it will melt. If necessary when combining the milk, seasonings, and cheeses, do it in 2 batches. If you do it in 2 batches and they are not identical, that’s fine – just pour them into a pitcher or bowl to combine them before pouring themn over the cauliflower and macaroni.
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