Last week we had a small crew of Petits Chefs due to a change in schedule but we went ahead and made a quick and easy dinner dish that the boys were delighted with – mac and cheese (sneaking in the high fibre with whole grain pasta and cauliflower!).
It was a super easy recipe, the hardest part being chopping all the pieces of cauliflower so they were the same size so they would cook evenly…
The boys were sad we didn’t use the Magic Bullet this week but we did use the Microplane for the cheese (and noone even grated their fingers!)…
The boys barely even noticed that I was cooking whole grain pasta….
Once the pasta was cooked, the cauliflower cut up and the cheese grated, we stirred in some (pre-grated) parmesan…
Added the (lower fat) sour cream…
And mixed it in well…
Then we added the cheddar…
And took turns to mix it in…
Of course before we packed it up, we *had* to taste it…
Verdict? Much deliciousness going home that evening!
All this in about 35 minutes!
You can either serve this macaroni unbaked so it’s loose, gooey, and silky, or bake it under the broiler for a few minutes before serving to give it a crispy, golden topping. You could even try adding a grated hard-boiled egg or cooked prawns, but I like the simple style, as here.
Ingredients
½ a head of cauliflower
8oz. Cheddar cheese
4oz. Parmesan cheese
A small bunch of fresh Italian parsley (I forgot to bring this in…)
Sea salt
1lb. dried macaroni (elbows)
1cup crème fraîche or sour cream
To prepare your pasta:
Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and discard. Slice the end off the cauliflower stalk and cut the head into small florets. Halve the thick stalk lengthways, then slice thinly. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl. Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.
To cook your pasta:
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and all your cauliflower and cook according to the macaroni-package instructions. Place the bowl of cheese over the saucepan and add the crème fraîche. Carefully stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. If the water boils up beneath the bowl, just turn the heat down slightly. Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Carefully remove the bowl of cheese using a towel or oven gloves and put aside. Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese, and stir. It should have a lovely, silky consistency, but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out a bit.
At this point you can either serve the macaroni as is, or finish it under the broiler to make it crispy and golden on top. To do this, preheat your broiler to a medium to high heat. Transfer to a baking dish. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbling.
I took my serve home and sprinkled some extra cheese on top, added the missing parsley and broiled it for a few minutes..
YUM!
I am so excited to announce that Jamie Oliver will be speaking in Toronto next month on November 18th!
I am even more excited to announce that I have a special discount on tickets available to my readers of $10 of the regular price of both VIP and regular admission tickets. Click here to book now – and maybe I will see you there!
Did you know – I am in Round 5 of Project Food Blog! I would love your vote to move on to Round 6, where we have to create a delicious meal that will travel well. As luck would have it, I am travelling to Niagara Falls to speak at a conference next weekend with one of my best friends and I have the *best* idea for our picnic overlooking the Falls…. Simply click here to vote. You have to be a Foodbuzz member to vote but it’s a simple sign-up process. Once you’re signed up, click the red heart to vote. Thanks in advance. Many thanks for your continued support.
Great addition of the cauliflower….perfection!
I know, right – and cleverly disguised with cheese!
I love Mac and Cheese…Your recipe sounds really good!
Well, I can’t take any credit, but yes, it’s a good one!
Cauliflower, what a clever addition. You are amazing, you are able to make regular little old Mac N Cheese look so elegant. Are you attending Jamie’s Q & A in Toronto Mardi? I am attending, would be nice to meet if you will be there.
Yes, as it says in the post “maybe I will see you there?”
We will meet!
p.s. Congrats on Top 9 for your amazing corn fritters
I love mac and cheese and I always like new spins on the classic recipe. I like the addition of the cauliflower!
This is a *great* spin!
Mac and cheese is one of my favorite things in the world – so much so that I will be naming my next dog “mac and cheese” – mac for short
But since it’s so unhealthy I rarely get to eat it. Thank you for sharing a healthier alternative!
Oh you can eat this to your heart’s content!
delicious addition of cauliflower
*starring this in my reader*
this looks fabulous… I love the cauliflower addition…
is it weird that I would rather eat it creamy out of the pot… I don’t like it as much after it has been baked…
It was pretty good creamy out of the pot too….
Perfect! Mac ‘n’ cheese is a favorite around here and would be in much heavier rotation if it were healthier. Then: voila. (Wish I knew where those accent marks were on the keyboard.) Sounds delicious. And since I already pad out a lot of my food with cauliflower, right up my alley. Mooch will have to adapt. Good luck with round 6…
Mooch will love this, guaranteed…
The mac and cheese looks so good. I love the addition of the cauliflower! YUM!!!
Yummy and healthy, indeed!
I have been craving Mac and Cheese! So glad you put up this post. I can hardly wait to make it and I am green with envy that Jaime Oliver is coming to your neck of the woods.
I cannot wait to see Jamie!
I LOVE that you are teaching kids to cook and love that their parents have enrolled them in classes. This mac and cheese looks like a real belly filler (and a healthy one at that).
I have that similar Microplane (from Lee Valley) and absolutely love it. Best kitchen tool ever for making zest, grating parm, etc.
Actually even better than that, the boys choose to come to club!!!!
YES! The petite chefs are back in action
Love all the little hand shots…hope you’re settling into the academic calendar a bit now??
Settling in? Never! But loving the return of the petits chefs…
What a cool idea to add cauliflower into the cheese mac. Nice one.
Jamie thinks of everything!
I like how cauliflower just takes in flavour so well….
It does, doesn’t it?
Very sneaky with the tiny little cauli florettes, you can’t even see them but they are in there, sneaking nutrients into your system under the cover of cheese (it’s like the cover of darkness but tastier and less scary)
Yes, I made them cut them very small to disguise them as much as possible…
Love the little hand photos! Great dish!
That mac’n'cheese looks like it needs a run in this house – cauliflower is one vegetable that will get a universal nod. Will need to make enough for me too I suspect!
It’s pretty darned good…
Looks delish! Love all things mac n cheese….
Me too and even better when it’s not loaded with fat…
what a great blog!
everything here looks so delicious!
have a nice time!
Paula
Thanks for stopping by..
I’m not one who has to have all the fat to make it taste good…s o I certainly appreciate this healthy mac and cheese… I’ll be giving this one a try very soon.
And the best part – doesn’t taste low fat at all…
This is my kind mac and cheese. Gorgeous photos. Lucky students:)
Thanks Lora. I hope they think so too!
Fantastic way to work veggies into a kid’s favorite. Plus, that photo is lovely!
Thanks – the cauliflower sure was easy to hide in this dish!
I like how simple and easily hid the cauliflower is. I’m a picky eater and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate veggies like this. I’ll have to try making this!
Yes gotta love a recipe that hides cauliflower in CHEESE!
This looks absolutely incredible. Perfect for World Pasta Day!
Indeed it is!
Love this post, Mardi! (and the whole grain pasta)
Cheers – the boys absolutely gobbled this up!
Ooh… I’m always on the lookout for healthy mac and cheese recipes! Darron loves his mac and cheese… and I love to try to make it healthy on him.
Oh believe me, if my picky boy eaters can eat this and love it, Darron will too!
I loved making this recipe because it is healthier. I also put in a small package of thawed spinach for even more goodness.
Yes that’s a great idea though I didn’t want to push my luck with the boys…
would have never thought of adding cauliflower to mac and cheese! just about anything can be cleverly disguised with cheese though, right? with the whole grain pasta and the veggies, this is a great way to make a kids’ favorite meal far healthier. thanks!
Well I love cauliflower cheese by itself, the pasta makes it into a meal as opposed to a side dish.
Love the mac and cheese, fun to be with you on Foodiecrush today
This sounds awesome! Let’s see if I can get my husband to eat it!
He won’t even know there is cauliflower in there!