Gooey Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
I have a couple of other Mac and Cheese recipes in my blog however this Gooey Cauliflower Mac and Cheese it is one of my favorite recipe for it. Add a bit of pepper flakes for some heat and you are good to go.
As I mentioned a few days ago my posting won’t be as regular as it has been for the past 2-3 weeks. I am thinking I will probably have 2 to 3 postings per week as I am getting ready to take my entrance exam to medical school in the next few months.
I need a couple of hours of study every day and with two little kids in the house it is hard to come by thus my cooking/baking posts will have to suffer for a while. Something that I really don’t like but something has to give right? :-(
Anyhow, this is my other version of Gooey Cauliflower Mac and Cheese using different type of cheeses. I still used cauliflower in this one because I simply love it plus it makes it even healthier for my kids :-). They can’t even tell it’s got cauliflower.
For this Gooey Cauliflower Mac and Cheese version I use mozzarella, Parmesan, and sharp provolone cheese. You can use any other type of cheese that you may prefer but for me I used what I had on hand. I also put some pepper flakes on my plate, as I like it spicy. This again is a simple, nutritious and easy dish to put together.
Enjoy!
PrintGooey Cauliflower Mac and Cheese 2
Miryam's original recipe
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
15 ounces, whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
10-16 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, cubed, I used 16 oz, I like it gooey
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 slices sharp provolone cheese, chopped
1 cup low-fat Greek plain yogurt
1-2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup nonfat milk, maybe a little more
2 tablespoons dry oregano, optional
2 tablespoons Cajun creole seasoning, optional
1 teaspoon celtic salt
Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F.
In a large pot cook the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta has about 5 minutes left to cook add the cauliflower. Drain pasta and cauliflower and set aside.
In a large non stick skillet add the oil and garlic and cook until soft for about 30- 60 seconds. Don't burn it :-)
Mix in the yogurt, garlic, milk, mustard, Cajun seasoning and half the cheeses in a baking 9x13 rectangular dish. Incorporate the pasta with the cauliflower to this mixture and combine. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses and oregano.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Alternatively you can put it under the broiler for the last 5 minutes to brown the top (this is what I do)
Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 6 servings. This is high in selenium.
Hello there. My name is Miryam and I am the clinical dietitian and Physician Assistant behind Eat Good 4 Life. My wish is to inspire you to start cooking healthier so that you can live a longer and happier life. Thanks for stopping by (
Okay… after reading this I 1) can’t wait to try this recipe and 2) can’t believe that with 2 children + prepping to apply to med school, you have time to host this blog. Good work!
Instead of the red-fat mozz, I would probably test on this end w/Cabot’s 50% Red Fat Cheddar… I’m a big fan (obviously ;-) and I’m kinda partial to cheddar in mac and cheese… but I think the parm & provolone would be great add’ns!
So glad I found your blog through the Nutrition Blog Network. Enjoyed!
~Regan
This sounds delicious. I have a head of cauliflower that I need to use up so this may be what’s for dinner tonight. I’m just hoping my 7 year old won’t notice the cauliflower. I have gotten him to unknowingly eat carrots pureed and added to mac and cheese so here’s hoping he’ll eat this too. He is so anti “stuff” (onions, celery, peppers, etc.) in his food and won’t eat any veggies except corn on the cob and potatoes.*sigh*
Best of luck on your entrance exams!!
Hey Patti,
make sure you cut the cauliflower into small pieces so he won’t be able to see it very good :-)
He should taste the flavor of it with the macaroni and cheeses in there.
Good luck! and thanks
Regan,
thanks. I am glad you like the recipe, let me know how it turns out.
This recipe looks fantastic and I can’t wait to give it a try. I often use soft tofu in mine, this way I can use less cheese to help with the waistline but still get that creamy texture that you look for in a good Mac & Cheese. I love the addition of cauliflower! Good Luck on Med School.
Soooo… I’ve been DYING to make this for a week or so, and finally did tonight. Funny thing is I forgot the milk! It was still good, just in no way gooey… HA!
I didn’t have any regular onion in the house, how is beside me, so I used a bunch of green onions, and it was tasty!
Thanks!
Got to make this today and it got thumbs up from everyone in the house, so thank you! We aren’t a big cauliflower eating household. My husband even said “It’s good, even knowing what’s in it.” haha
Thanks for posting a great recipie, mine is in the oven now! Can’t wait to try it. :)
Erin, I hope you liked it as much as we do.
Thanks for checking up my blog :-)
I just made this for lunch and was really surprised. I thought I’d be able to detect the cauliflower for sure, and it’s good that I didn’t, because I absolutely hate cauliflower and won’t eat it. The oregano was definitely a good addition. Great recipe! :)
I can’t wait to try this recipe. There is really something in this dish that I am really interested.
dining room tables
This was really good! I couldn’t fit all the pasta and cauliflower into the backing dish so mine was extra cheesy =) But still great.
Super cool. I need to make this again soon. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a review :-)
Made this last night and mine came out very watery. Im thinking next time I will steam the cauliflower and squeeze out the extra water. I loved the flavors and 4he recipe was so easy.
That could have been it. I really don’t know where the other water could come from. I am glad you like it at at least :-)
This recipe looks delicious! My daughter is doing a project on healthy cooking and she wanted to compare mac n cheese recipes. This was her pick for the healthy recipe. She will be doing a comparison of why this recipe is healthier than a traditional mac n cheese recipe. I noticed that the sodium content seems to be quite high. Is that the correct amount of sodium in the nutrition analysis? If so, is it coming from the cheeses? Can you recommend alternate cheese options with lower sodium?
Thanks for your input! And for posting this recipe.
You can decrease the salt to 1/2 tsp instead of the 1 tsp and the Parmesan cheese to 1/2 as well. If you also half the provolone cheese the sodium content will go down to 800 mg.. If you omit the provolone it goes down to 700 mg. Those are the two major sources of sodium in the recipe. I hope this helps.
Thanks so much for your quick reply!