Surrounded by a creamy cheddar sauce, every spoonful of cauliflower in Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is bursting with cheesy goodness! Trust me, you won’t miss the pasta!
Serve mac and cheese with vegetables as a side dish or a main dish, the choice is yours. Macaroni and cheese will never be the same again.
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Cauliflower Mac N Cheese
Who loves mac ‘n cheese? We all love macaroni and cheese, of course!
From early childhood on, macaroni and cheese cannot be denied as a go-to comfort food.
So let’s take this beloved comfort food to a healthier, yet still so delicious, level with Cauliflower Mac and Cheese!
That’s right, we are replacing the carb heavy pasta, the “mac” part of mac ‘n cheese, with cauliflower!
Vegetable macaroni and cheese is also a good way to increase your vegetables when following a plant-based lifestyle.
And, let me tell you, this easy macaroni and cheese recipe tastes fabulous!
Surrounded by a creamy cheddar sauce, every spoonful of Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is bursting with cheesy goodness! You're welcome!
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Who Invented Mac N Cheese?
So I got to thinking……how long has macaroni and cheese been around?
And who actually invented macaroni and cheese?
Seems there are several urban legends out there that credit Thomas Jefferson.
Apparently he brought a pasta machine and noodle recipes with him to the Colonies because there were none available here.
When he was president he had his cook make macaroni, add lots and lots of York cheddar cheese and bake it.
And in 1802 he served macaroni and cheese at a state dinner in the White House.
So macaroni and cheese is quite presidential! Who knew?
Jefferson’s mac ‘n cheese was a baked macaroni and cheese which is mighty delicious and stove top mac ‘n cheese versions are quite fabulous too!
In 1937, during the Great Depression, Kraft Foods launched its boxed macaroni and cheese that is still a staple in households to this day.
And now you can get elbow pasta, shells pasta, spiral pasta and even specialty pastas, such as Minions, A-B-C’s and 1_2-3’s, and Star Wars shapes!
We’ve come a long way since Thomas Jefferson but I’m so thankful to him for creating macaroni and cheese, aren’t you?
How to make mac and cheese cauliflower
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Melt butter in medium saucepot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until just tender and translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add cauliflower florettes and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Uncover, add evaporated milk, Worcestershire and dry mustard and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, stir in cheddar cheese and simmer until the cheese is melted and a sauce has formed, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle with sliced scallions, if desired.
Expert Tips
- Add peas too!
- Be sure to cut the cauliflower into bitesize pieces.
Substitutions
- You can substitute your favorite cheese for cheddar cheese
- Substitute broccoli for half of the cauliflower
- Spicy brown mustard or Dijon mustard can replace dry mustard
Storage
- Store any leftover cauliflower macaroni and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Your mac and cheese will stay fresh for 1-2 days.
- Reheat it over a low heat on the stovetop. You may have to add more liquid, such as milk or water.
- As always, I find it helpful to visit the FDA website for food storage guidelines
Ingredients
Vegetable mac and cheese ingredients:
- butter
- onion
- cauliflower
- evaporated milk
- Worcestershire sauce
- dry mustard
- cheddar cheese
- scallions
Recipes With Cauliflower
Love Cauliflower like I do? Then you won't want to miss these Swirls' cauliflower recipes!
General Tso's Cauliflower will replace your Chinese take out! A silky sauce seasoned with fresh ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes, for just a touch of heat, surrounds tender cauliflower for the perfect meatless meal.
When you feel like doing Taco Tuesday on Meatless Monday then Oven Roasted Cauliflower Tacos will be perfect choice for you! Cauliflower slow roasts to delicious goodness and then combines with mushrooms giving a meaty flavor to this meatless taco filling.
Jalapeno Lime Cauliflower Rice is bursting with flavor starting with a little kick from fresh jalapeno that’s balanced with the freshness of chopped cilantro and lime juice! A nice change of pace from rice, cauliflower rice is low calorie, low carb, gluten free, grain free, diabetic friendly, delicious, nutritious, easy to make.
Loaded Baked Cauliflower Casserole is an easy side dish and a healthy alternative to the classic loaded baked potato. Cauliflower is cooked to perfection with cheesy goodness that melts into all the nooks and crannies.
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 4 cups small cauliflower florettes ,1 pound
- 1 (12 ounces) can evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- sliced scallions ,optional garnish
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Instructions
- Melt butter in medium saucepot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until just tender and translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add cauliflower florettes and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Uncover, add evaporated milk, Worcestershire and dry mustard and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, stir in cheddar cheese and simmer until the cheese is melted and a sauce has formed, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle with sliced scallions, if desired.
I want to make your recipe for Cauliflower Mac n cheese for my diabetic granddaughter. Do you know how many carbs are in one serving?
Hi Betsy, Based on my nutrition calculator, for a 1 cup serving of the Cauliflower Mac N Cheese, each serving is 18 grams carbs. One serving is about 1 cup. You could always serve a 1/2 cup per serving for 9 grams carbs. Hope this helps! Thank you for stopping by Swirls and happy cooking! Have a delicious day, Gwynn