Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake

A slightly healthier version of Macaroni and Cheese. All the ooey gooey cheesy goodness with some hidden vegetables and whole grain pasta.

Ingredients:
½ A head of cauliflower
8 oz. Cheddar cheese
4 oz. Parmesan cheese (or Italian cheese blend, I used Parmesan, Romano and Asiago)
~A small bunch of fresh Italian parsley (use 1 tablespoon dried if you have to)
~Sea salt
1 lb. tubular whole wheat or whole grain pasta (any shape works fine)
1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Servings: 4 smaller bowls, or two very big bowls

Instructions:
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. Roast the cauliflower in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown. (alternatively cook the cauliflower in with the pasta, this is how Jamie Oliver actually designed the recipe).

Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl. Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni (and all your cauliflower if cooking with the pasta) 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.

[Notes: 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. Add ⅔ cup of the reserved cooking water to the macaroni, stir in, then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbling.]

Nutritional Information:

Recipe From: http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/all_books/jamies_food_revolution/macaroni_and_cauliflower_cheese_bake

I had been self denying myself cheese for a little while as I was on a diet and I finally broke down when I saw this recipe, I needed some cheeseyness in my life. This turned out to be a fantastic little Macaroni and Cheese recipe with a few healthy hints added in.

Switching to whole wheat or whole grain pasta is a no brainer, really all of your past should be whole grain if you can find it. Lots of extra nutritional goodness and almost no cost in taste. In this case, your smothering it in cheese, you wont know.

Adding the cauliflower I thought was a bit of a risk, but it turned out great. I roasted the cauliflower as I like the extra flavor it gives the vegetable. A bit more earthy, and this went really well with the cheese. Jamie Oliver boils it in the original recipe, but I scratched that for the roasted, I don't know which is better.

I saw no need to bake mine after cooking, I couldn't wait any longer for the deliciousness! But I also don't see a need for the crispy top, by all means bake away if that is your thing though! In the end, you don't know that you used whole wheat and you don't notice the cauliflower as it seems just like more pasta. This is great way to hide some veggies in your dish and get all the extra healthiness from it.