cooking · Dinner

“Mac” and Cheese

I adapted a recipe for Mac and Cheese made with cauliflower (page 46) from the January/February issue of Vegetarian Times. I was at Trader Joe’s and they had a mound of nice looking heads and I went for it. It was pricier than using pasta ($1.79 for the head of cauliflower) but it was fun to try it – and it was quite tasty.

Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head cauliflower (about 1½ lbs), cored and broken into medium florets
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups low-fat milk
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced (jarred)
  • 2 cups 2% sharp cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup large flake nutritional yeast
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup liquid Egg Beaters©
  • 3 slices Dave’s Killer Bread, finely pulsed (1½ cups)
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9×13″ glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (lightly salt it, I used 1 teaspoon kosher salt). Add the cauliflower gently to avoid splashing, let boil gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until just tender. Drain in a colander.

Meanwhile in a medium heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the garlic, cook for a minute, add the flour and cook for another minute. Slowly whisk the milk in, till the sauce is smooth. Let come to a gentle bubble, whisking often.

Take off the heat, add in the cheese, nutritional yeast and pepper, whisking till smooth. Add the eggs in, whisking as you do.

Add the cauliflower to a large mixing bowl, pour the cheese sauce over and mix gently. Pour into the prepared baking dish and smooth out.

Toss the fresh breadcrumbs with the oil in a small bowl, evenly toss over the casserole.

Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling.

Serves 4 as a main dish – have a loaf of crusty bread to go with it for the sauce!

Notes: You can use any fresh bread for the crumbs – we prefer to eat DKB as it is hearty and tasty! To save on cholesterol I swapped out the egg yolks called for and use egg substitute and used lower-fat cheese.

~Sarah

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