Best Baked Cauliflower Mac And Cheese

Looking for all the cauliflower everything? Try these recipes for Easy Buffalo Cauliflower, Roasted Cauliflower Soup, and Baked Sweet and Sour Cauliflower. I think everyone falls into two cauliflower teams: Team Gimme All the Cauliflower and Team Not Another Cauliflower Recipe. Amiright? I think even if you consider yourself a member of the second team, you should try this recipe for cauliflower mac and cheese before you roll your eyes. I’m a skeptic myself (and definitely so are the kids and husband), but I swear it’s soooooo good you won’t even miss the noodles at all. We had no one speck of this veggie mac and cheese leftover after dinner the other night, so I’m assuming the rest of the family totally agreed with me!

Why This Recipe Works

Cauliflower — I know this goes without saying because how would this recipe work without cauliflower but it truly has been a game-changer for me when cooking, knowing there’s this versatile veggie I can use instead of pasta, potatoes, rice…so many other things. It’s fun to mix it up once in a while and having an extra serving or two of veggies never hurt anybody. Hand-shredded cheese — I’m all about the kind of shredded cheese you shred yourself. Why? Well store-bought shredded cheese is coated with this powdery substance that keeps it from all caking together in the bag. That substance that keeps it from caking also keeps it from melting together well and leaves the cheese with a grainy taste and texture. Do yourself a favor and grate it yourself — it’s even more economical that way too. That roux — You have to make a roux (butter/flour mixture detailed below) to get the cheese to fold in correctly and melt smoothly and consistently. I’ve skipped this step before and what you end up with is cauliflower with melted cheese pieces stuck to it. Definitely not creamy and cauliflower mac and cheese – like at all. Leftovers — This recipe heats up well the next day and the day after too (if you have any left, that is). Mac and cheese for daaaays.

Here’s How You Make It

What Are the Best Cheeses to Use for Macaroni and Cheese?

While sharp cheddar cheese is my favorite cheese in all mac and cheese varieties, there are quite a number of delicious cheeses that work great too.

Mild or medium cheddar Parmesan (I like to mix parm with another cheese) Pepper jack Gouda Gruyere Goat cheese (I mix this one too) Brie (this one works great, but it is a super sticky, melty cheese so you don’t have to go too heavy on it). Monterey jack

Expert Tips

Remember to use that hand-shredded cheese in this cauliflower mac and cheese. (Grate on a block or in a food processor with the appropriate attachment if you have it). I love using sharp cheddar but another version of cheddar works great, as well as pepper jack, or mix a couple of your favorite cheeses if you like too, so long as they add up to two cups.

When choosing a head of cauliflower, make sure it is heavy, thick, and compact. You want the leaves to be green and not yellow or wilting. If some of the florets are browning, you can cut those off if it’s just a spot or two, but avoid any that are very brown or heads that are soft. If you want to avoid watery cauliflower mac and cheese, after you drain the cauliflower from steaming in the microwave you can pat it dry with a paper towel. Or, I’ll drain the water off, then dump the cauliflower onto a kitchen towel and let it sit and dry a bit while I’m making the cheese sauce.