Cauliflower Macaroni Cheese
This dish is a combination of two of my favourites – macaroni cheese and cauliflower gratin. Topped with toasty breadcrumbs - you can make it for me anytime! You might like to grate some extra parmesan to pop on your serving for an added flavour hit.
Ingredients
400g cauliflower florets
200g (1 1/3 cups) wholemeal macaroni (see tip)
20g butter
2tbsp plain flour
375ml (1 1/2 cups) milk
40g (1/3 cup) grated cheddar cheese
25g (1/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese
50g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs (see tip)
1tbsp olive oil
Method
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Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cook the cauliflower and macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8–10 minutes, or until both are just tender. Drain and transfer to a large ovenproof baking dish.
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Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, stirring over low-medium heat until the sauce thickens. Stir in the cheeses and cook for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the pasta and cauliflower.
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Toss the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the olive oil and scatter over the cauliflower macaroni. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until golden on top.
Top Tip: I prefer cooking with wholegrains where possible, but if you don’t have wholemeal macaroni or wholemeal breadcrumbs on hand, don’t worry. Regular versions of both will also work perfectly well.