October 22, 2013
Well this dish was absolutely DELICIOUS, however, epic fail as far as "hidden" goes. My kids could see the cauliflower so after the first bite, it was picked apart and the "flowers" were left on the plate! Cut the cauliflower into tiny, tiny portions (like practically mashed) if you want to hide it from the kiddos. :)
Hidden 'Flower Mac 'n' Cheese
1 box short pasta (elbow, rigatoni, penne, bowtie, etc)
1 head of cauliflower
1c broth (I used beef because it compliments cheddar/colby cheese)
1 stick butter
3-4T flour
2-3 cups milk (I used 1%)
2T dijon mustard
3-4c shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
2t ground nutmeg
3t black pepper
salt to taste
Topping:
1c Vigo breadcrumbs
1c shredded Parmesan cheese
2T butter (melted)
Heat broth in a lidded pasta pan to boiling. Cut out core of cauliflower and discard. Place cauliflower head in pan and cover with lid. Boil/steam for 10 minutes. Remove head of cauliflower and set aside. Add water to the pan (with the broth) and bring to a boil. Add pasta and boil for 5 minutes (2 minutes short of al dente). Reserve 1 cup of starchy water before draining pasta. While pasta is cooking, break up cauliflower into bite-size florets/pieces. Place florets in a large baking dish. Add drained pasta to baking dish and stir together.
In the pasta pan, heat starchy water and butter to boil. Add flour, nutmeg, pepper & salt and stir to thicken. Reduce to simmer and add dijon, shredded cheese & milk in 1c amounts. Keep stirring (and adding milk) until it reaches desired consistency.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta/califlower and stir well. Cover and chill for make-ahead meal.
Bake at 400° until thoroughly heated (if chilled, bring to room temp and bake about 40 minutes).
While baking, prepare topping. Melt butter in microwave or sauce pan. Add breadcrumbs & Parmesan cheese and stir until butter is absorbed.
In last 10 minutes of baking, top with the topping and return to oven until golden brown.
Comments