Apparently, I eat a lot of cheese. Can’t help it, it’s delicious. Regular cheese, vegan cheese, cheese substitutes, I want it in my life and I want it often. Unfortunately, no matter how much I love cheese, it never loves me back, so if I want my pants to fit, I have to make other wise choices when I use it. My favorite way to lighten up a recipe? Swap out anything I can for a vegetable.
Traditionally when you make mac and cheese, you’d made some sort of sauce involving full fat milk (or even heavy cream), butter, and flour. The first time, I used butternut squash, but when I saw orange cauliflower at the store, I knew it would work perfectly. Homemade mac and cheese is never as bright orange as what comes from a box or in a restaurant, so the added orange color reinforces the cheese flavor (but any color of cauliflower will work). Many recipes use fat and salt to add flavor, so when you take either of those elements out, you really need to boost the flavor in other ways so that no one misses it. I’m a huge fan of garlic in my mac and cheese, so I oven roasted a head of garlic and added that to the cheese sauce.
I did splurge a little on making a delicious crust for the top – if you want to save some fat and calories, leave the crust off or just use whole wheat bread crumbs. I also included nutritional yeast in this recipe even though there is cheese. If you have never tried it, this is the perfect time to ease yourself into it. If you’re not excited about it quite yet, there’s a note below the recipe for how to swap it out. If you want to get really crazy delicious, throw some of the BBQ shredded veggies from last week on top – insanely delicious.
4 c chopped orange cauliflower (any color will work)
4 c vegetable broth or water
1 lb whole wheat noodles (or GF noodles)
10 – 12 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
1 tbsp cornstarch
⅓ c nutritional yeast (see note for substitutions)
Salt and pepper to taste
⅔ c cheese crackers (I used Annie’s http://www.annies.com/products/cheddar-squares)
¼ c french onions
Extra cheese for topping, if desired
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut the top off of the head of garlic, drizzle with oil or spritz with nonstick spray, and wrap in foil. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until garlic is soft. Set aside to cool.
Bring broth to a gentle boil in a large pot. Add cauliflower, cover, and cook until it is falling apart or very soft. Set aside to let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.
Using a blender, process the cauliflower and broth until smooth.
Return cauliflower to a sauce pan over medium heat. Squeeze soft garlic into pan – be careful not to handle if it is too hot and avoid any papery pieces. Cut cheese into cubes and add to cauliflower. Whisk frequently to ensure cheese does not settle on the bottom, until cheese is melted.
Mix cornstarch with milk and whisk into cauliflower mixture. Increase heat to near boil and then reduce to a simmer. Stir in nutritional yeast and cook until sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Stir together sauce and noodles and pour into a large greased casserole dish. Bake for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, crush cheese crackers and french onions in a food processor. Sprinkle over casserole with extra cheese (if desired). Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Notes
To sub out nutritional yeast, use an equal amount of Parmesan cheese and increase cornstarch to 2 tbsp. Do not skip baking the garlic, as raw garlic will be too overpowering. If short on time, use ½ tsp of garlic power for a subtle garlic flavor. Nutritional estimation uses nutritional yeast.
[…] going on and on about my love of cheese on Monday, I immediately turned around and made a vegan bread to have for breakfast. All about balance, […]
You are some kind of genius for using orange cauliflower for this! I love tricking my Dad into eating his vegetables and this is a great candidate! He will never know and I can get my cauliflower fix.
I’m with you. I can’t get enough cheese either. That’s one of the main reasons why I couldn’t commit to veganism. Cheese and eggs.
I love that you used orange cauliflower in this mac n cheese. The veggies are truly hidden in classic comfort food. 😉
Any color will work, but I always feel like the oranger something is the more cheesy it tastes! There’s a purple cauliflower too if you want to get crazy
Ahhhh … so here is the mac ‘n cheese dish I’ve been waiting to add to my menu!! This looks amazing! I’ve never seen orange cauliflower before (can’t say I’ve ever really tried to find it, either!) – but I’ll be on the lookout for that now! We have some awesome markets in the area – I’m sure one of them would have it!! And yes – I’m betting that the BBQ veggies would be incredible on this!! Fantastic!!
PS – I’m loving that little blue plate!!! It’s so cute – perfect for this photo shoot!! 🙂
My Kroger carries orange cauliflower (purple too!), but it’s one of those things you just look right past if you aren’t thinking about it. I’m glad you like the plate! It’s new and Josh gave me one of those looks like “Seriously? You need more plates?” — always. Always need more adorable plates!
Have you used daiya in a mac and cheese? I’ve only experimented with nutritional yeast so far (but I’d need to try the recipe a few more times to tell you how much to use for a 100% swap)
[…] going on and on about my love of cheese on Monday, I immediately turned around and made a vegan bread to have for breakfast. All about balance, […]
[…] cheese cracker but a lot less greasy with the perfect amount of salt. I used them to top off my cauliflower mac and cheese and it was […]
Wow, all of your dishes look yummy! I’m going to have to make this one!
I love how you added cauliflower to this traditional dish, to make it more healthy! It looks so gooey and delicious. 🙂
You are some kind of genius for using orange cauliflower for this! I love tricking my Dad into eating his vegetables and this is a great candidate! He will never know and I can get my cauliflower fix.
Doing a happy dance in front of the computer! What a great idea! Pinned to make ASAP!
Let me know how it turns out!
I’m with you. I can’t get enough cheese either. That’s one of the main reasons why I couldn’t commit to veganism. Cheese and eggs.
I love that you used orange cauliflower in this mac n cheese. The veggies are truly hidden in classic comfort food. 😉
You are making me have mac and cheese tonight for dinner. Just wanted to tell you!
Ha, sorry I started a craving! To be fair though, it’s one of the world’s most delicious foods.
orange cauliflower….i need to find some of that!
Any color will work, but I always feel like the oranger something is the more cheesy it tastes! There’s a purple cauliflower too if you want to get crazy
I love the idea of using some orange cauliflower in the mac and cheese! This looks to gooey and delicious.
Ahhhh … so here is the mac ‘n cheese dish I’ve been waiting to add to my menu!! This looks amazing! I’ve never seen orange cauliflower before (can’t say I’ve ever really tried to find it, either!) – but I’ll be on the lookout for that now! We have some awesome markets in the area – I’m sure one of them would have it!! And yes – I’m betting that the BBQ veggies would be incredible on this!! Fantastic!!
PS – I’m loving that little blue plate!!! It’s so cute – perfect for this photo shoot!! 🙂
My Kroger carries orange cauliflower (purple too!), but it’s one of those things you just look right past if you aren’t thinking about it. I’m glad you like the plate! It’s new and Josh gave me one of those looks like “Seriously? You need more plates?” — always. Always need more adorable plates!
I love mac and cheese and cauliflower too! I try to limit cheese and save it for delicious dishes like this one. I can’t wait to try the topping. 🙂
My mouth drooled a little when I saw this recipe. I love the inclusion of cauliflower!
Certainly looks incredible! I wonder how daiya would work in it…
Have you used daiya in a mac and cheese? I’ve only experimented with nutritional yeast so far (but I’d need to try the recipe a few more times to tell you how much to use for a 100% swap)
This looks so tasty. Of course, I’ll make it for my kids and then devour it myself… but I guess that’s the glory of hidden health.
LOVE that you included cauliflower in this!! I may be slightly obsessed.. 😉