Don't get me wrong--I LOVE macaroni and cheese--well any pasta and cheese in general, but it needed an upgrade to "somewhat healthy swimmming in cheezy goodness". Lo and behold, The Shiksa came to my rescue! I was looking through her archives, and I found a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Gratin which looked easy and delicious, and guess what? It is!!!
{Look at that bubbling, cheesy goodness!!! The husband said it was terrible--teriibly good! (He does that to me a lot--it's his thing.)}
This recipe is made with cauliflower which is MUCH healthier and nutritous than pasta; plus roasting it beforehand? GENIUS!!! Next time I have a craving for mac & cheese--this is definitely my go-to!
{Roasted cauliflower!}
{Making roux to thicken the sauce}
{Getting saucy!}
{Mhmmmm.... CHEESE!!!!}
{Personal preference to add garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, and cayenne pepper--experiment for your own twist!}
{How do you like my one-handed shot? Nice, huh?}
Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 pounds cauliflower florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese (or your choice)
3 tablspoons bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Preheat oven to 425.
- In a bowl, put cauliflower and oil together; toss to coat.
- Spread on a baking sheet and place in oven for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, stir cauliflower with a spoon and return to oven for another 15 minutes.
- While the cauliflower roasts, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add flour and stir to combine.
- Cook this flour mixture (roux) for 2 minutes; add milk slowly stirring constantly until all the milk is added.
- DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM SAUCE! This sauce burns incredibly easy; keep stirring until it is thick.
- Add cheese and optional spices stirring until combined and melted.
- Adjust sauce seasoning with salt and pepper.
- When the cauliflower is out of the oven, reduce the heat to 375.
- Place cauliflower florets in a 9x9 casserole dish.
- Top cauliflower with cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top; place in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese sauce is bubbling.
- Optional--if you have a broiler, turn it on and place gratin underneath it for 1-2 minutes for a more browned top.
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