Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is one of the dishes that I miss so much. I’ve been gluten intolerant for about 9 years now and I may have gotten used to it, but I admit that I miss the comforting taste of pasta, pizza, and breads. There are many tasty substitutions and gluten free options available but I’ve also fallen in love with cauliflower. 

Cauliflower has been so good in substituting for cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower rice, cauliflower mashed potatoes and many other dishes. It’s lower in carbs and has more nutritional value. Did I mention that it’s also tasty? If you like cauliflower and you love mac and cheese, this cauliflower mac and cheese recipe is for you!

I highly recommend to sauté cauliflower rather than boil or steam it because it retains more nutrients and it tastes much better with browned edges. Cauliflower is so good smothered in cheese sauce, it will be your favorite meal and side dish. 

Key Ingredient Notes

Cauliflower – you can use a head of cauliflower or the pre-cut cauliflower florets for this recipe. You can use frozen cauliflower if needed just thaw completely first and stain off all the excess liquids. Either way, you will need to cut the florets to a smaller, bite size pieces.

Cheeses: You a combination of softer cheese that melts well and sharper, bolder cheese for more flavor. Monterrey Jack cheese, Colby Jack, and Mozzarella, and fontina are softer cheeses that melt very well. For sharper and bolder flavors, use sharp cheddar, Asiago, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or gruyere. Always choose a block and grate it yourself!

Milk: for a rich cheese sauce, I recommend using whole milk. 2% milk will also work but won’t be a rich and I don’t recommend using anything less.

Variations and Allergy Friendly Alternatives

Meats: you can easily add crispy bacon, diced ham, diced rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken,

Gluten free alternative: simply use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour in the cheese sauce. It thickens just as nicely and the sauce will be just as smooth and creamy. All other ingredients should be gluten free but double-check the packaging just in case. 

Lactose free alternatives: Milk and butter are the two items that have lactose so use lactose free whole or 2% milk. For butter, use lactose free or plant based butter butter substitutes like I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Earth Balance, Avocado Oil Plant Based Butter, or other brands you like. In cheese, note that most cheeses that are aged over 6 months are naturally lactose free. Many brands will put lactose content right on the label, under the nutritional information. Look for words like “contains 0% of lactose per serving.” If the wording is not there, you can look at sugar content. If sugar is 0g, that will indicate there is very low chance for lactose.

Dairy free alternative: unfortunately, it would be very difficult do go completely dairy free. Even though you can substitute milk for almond milk and butter for vegan butter, cheese would be difficult to substitute successfully. Vegan cheese is not easy to work with and I personally have not found one that works well in mac and cheese and cheese sauces and tastes good and melts well. If you have vegan cheese that you love, you can absolutely use it! 

How To Make Cauliflower Mac and Cheese: Step By Step and Tips

1. Cauliflower: wash the head of cauliflower and cut off the florets. Chop florets and some stems into bite-size pieces and try to make them close to the same size. 
2. Sauté the cauliflower until it’s partially softened but still have a little crunch in the middle and getting browned. This could take 10-15 minutes, depending on how large you cut the pieces. I do highly recommend that you let the cauliflower sear and get brown edges because that will infuse more flavor into the dish.
3. Once cauliflower is done, take it out and place into the baking dish that you will be using. Use the same pan to make the cheese sauce to get all those browned bits incorporated into the sauce.
4. Smooth cheese sauce: melt butter and scrape the pan with a wooden spatula. Whisk flour into melted butter in the pan until smooth and then start slowly pouring in the milk and whisking at the same time. Keep whisking and slowly pouring in milk. Continue to whisk slowly until milk is warmed and thickened. Then, start adding cheese one handful at a time. Continue to whisk and add the cheese in handfuls until all is smooth and melted.
5. Make sure you’re cooking the cheese sauce over medium-low heat. Don’t let it boil!
6. Mix the cheese sauce and the cauliflower, spread more cheese on top, and bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling around the edges and the top is beautifully golden.

Make Ahead, Storing, and Reheating

Make Ahead: I make this dish ahead of time for every holiday dinner! It’s such an easy prep item. Prepare and assemble the whole dish up to the step of baking, cover it air-tight, and refrigerate for a day. When ready to bake, take the dish out of the refrigerator, take off the cover and let it rest about 30 minutes while preheating the oven. Then bake as directed!

Storing: store the leftovers right in the same baking dish or transfer it into a food storage container. Just make sure to cover it air-tight. Store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. 

Reheating: after 2-3 days, you will notice that there are juices separating and that’s okay, that’s just cauliflower’s natural juices. Simply stir it back together before reheating. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds at the time. Make sure not to overheat it! Or, you can reheat in the oven at 350°F just until warmed through.

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Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April, 2020.