Easy Eats Recipe: Mac 'n Cheese with a twist

This is comfort food with a decent hit of vegetable goodness. The cauliflower sauce is beautifully creamy and a convincing substitute for the traditional version. This recipe uses frozen cauliflower rice, which is convenient and cooks fast, making this a weeknight friendly meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the mac 'n cheese:

1 onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

400g bag frozen cauliflower rice

700ml stock (chicken or vegetable)

½ cup fresh cream or 125g crème fraiche

1 ½ cups grated cheese

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

500g dried pasta (we’ve used rigatoni)

Salt and cracked black pepper

Olive oil

For the crumb:

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 large handful baby spinach, finely chopped

Large handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Generous pinch salt

3 Tbsp melted butter

Method

Heat oven to 200C.

Add a glug of olive oil to a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

Add the cauliflower rice (no need to thaw), along with the stock. Bring to a boil and then cook at a rapid simmer, with a lid slightly ajar, for 15 minutes. While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the pasta by cooking for a minute less than the packet instructions. Pour into a colander. Run under cold water to cool completely if the sauce is not ready yet.

Add the cream or crème fraiche to the cauliflower. Use a stick blender to puree until silky smooth. This might take a few minutes. Add the cheese, stir well and season generously. Combine with the pasta and spoon into an oven-proof dish.

Mix together the breadcrumbs, spinach, parsley and salt. Pour over the butter and toss together until evenly mixed. Sprinkle over the pasta.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Tip: You can use fresh cauliflower florets here instead of the frozen cauliflower rice. About a ½ large head of cauliflower will substitute well. Cut into small florets and simmer with a lid slightly ajar for about 20 minutes.

 

Kelly Gibney is an Auckland-based food writer, photographer and cookbook author. Her latest book ENJOY: Food worth sharing with the people you love shares delicious and achievable ideas for making every meal memorable. She also shares weekly recipes via her newsletter.