Trade Up: Baked Cauliflower and Cheese
This next recipe comes from an idea my friend told me about while we were traveling through Europe. She mentioned Cauliflower Cheese and how she has been trying to get her family to forego Mac and Cheese for it. Now, I had never had it before, but I figured it could be a good healthy substitute...especially once I went ROGUE on it. We did find a frozen option at M&S - I would never think to replace mac and cheese with this dish: it can’t compare. But I would serve this up during the week as a fill-in. I’m just being honest, because y’all know I do love me a good cauliflower sub in!
Below you will find my take on Cauliflower Cheese. My Mac and Cheese is muscle memory, so I did not need a recipe. I simply substituted pasta for cauliflower.
Money Matters
I had all of the needed items on hand, so I did not spend anything. But it would come out to $10 (if you are only buying the veggies and dairy), 8 servings, which comes to about .80/serving.
#ROGUElyfe
This recipe is mine, but I would suggest trying different cheeses. People love to flex with all the cheeses in their Mac and Cheese! I would love to see this with some pesto or buffalo sauce...this gives me an idea :)
My Recipe
6tbsp Butter
¼ cup flour
Whole milk (as needed)
½ bag grated Italian mix cheese
1 head roasted cauliflower, rough chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ small yellow onion, grated
1 egg, beat
Grated Cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a saucepan, and slowly add flour. Add milk slowly, until the roux (if you need a little more direction on the roux) loosen; continuously stir. Add the Italian cheese.
Mix the cauliflower, garlic, and onion in a pan. Pour the cheese roux over the vegetables and mix until the vegetables are fully coated. Add egg and seasonings. Once egg is fully mixed in add cheese and stir in completely. Add cheese to the top of dish.
Place dish in the oven, and bake until sides start to bubble, about 20mins. Turn oven up to 400 degrees, and cook for another 10-15 minutes to brown the top. Allow the dish to cool, then serve and enjoy!
Happy Cookin Y’all :)