Cauliflower Mac-n-Cheese

On my quest to be more fit I am trying to remake recipes and dishes that my family and I love so that they are healthier. I not only want to be healthier myself, but I want my whole family to love and seek out foods that fuel their bodies and make them feel good. Mac-n-cheese is one of those comfort foods that everyone just loves so I knew that I needed to find a healthier way to prepare this dish. Cauliflower is a food that we had eaten in the past but it has started to take alternate forms in our home recently. (See the cauliflower pizza crust.) This time the cauliflower is replacing elbow macaroni in a traditional mac-n-cheese recipe and I have lightened up the cheese sauce as well. My kids overall like cauliflower if it has melted cheese on it (in the past the cheese had been American or Velveeta) so I hoped this would be a new favorite.

Cauliflower cut into small florets after it's been blanched.

Hot out of the oven!

Plated up and ready to eat :)

I was right. Everyone ate it up and this is a recipe that I will be making again. One change that I might make in the future to add some protein is to add 1/2 cup of pureed chick peas to the cheese sauce. I was going to do this but at the last minute realized that I didn't have any in the pantry, but I will be trying that next time.


Recipe:

1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
salt and white pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups low fat sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
1/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pureed chick peas, drained and rinsed (optional)
1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Put cauliflower florets into a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, drain thoroughly then put in casserole oven-safe dish

Mix skim milk, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and white pepper in small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Add cheddar and mozzarella cheeses (minus enough to sprinkle on the top at the end) stirring in figure 8 motion until cheese is melted. Add chick peas at this time if you are using them and stir until they have warmed through. Turn off the burner then add Greek yogurt to mixture until it is fully incorporated. Taste test the sauce to make sure you don't need to add any more seasoning for your taste.

Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower and stir until fully coated. Sprinkle reserved cheddar cheese on the top and bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly brown.


Allow to cool slightly and enjoy! I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as mine did.