Updated Published Sep 18, 2018 By Julia 41 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.
Summary:
Satisfy your mac and cheese cravings with this no-pasta version — a simple 30-minute recipe for roasted cauliflower florets tossed in a rich and thick cheese sauce.
Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
5 from 26 votesPRINT PIN
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 16-ounce package cauliflower florets (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (Note 2)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cheese Sauce:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (Note 3)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 ounces cream cheese, chopped (Note 4)
- 2 teaspoons
dijon mustard - 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
garlic powder - 1/4 teaspoon
ground cayenne
INSTRUCTIONS
Roast Cauliflower: Preheat oven to 400 F. If any cauliflower florets are larger than 2 inches, cut into smaller pieces. Toss florets with olive oil on foil-lined baking sheet until well-coated, then spread out florets in single layer. Bake at 400 F until tender, 15 to 20 minutes (Note 5). While baking, proceed to next step to prepare sauce.
Make Sauce: Whisk all sauce ingredients together in small saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes, reducing heat as needed so that sauce isn't hot enough to simmer. Once combined, keep warm over low heat while waiting for cauliflower to bake.
Serve: Toss roasted cauliflower with sauce in mixing bowl until well-coated. Serve (Note 6), and evenly sprinkle parmesan cheese and black pepper on top.
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 350 (80% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 31g | 47% |
| Saturated Fat 16g | 78% |
| Cholesterol 76mg | 25% |
| Sodium 610mg | 25% |
| Net Carb 4g | |
| Total Carb 7g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 11% |
| Sugars 3.5g | |
| Protein 12g |
Vitamin A 18% · Vitamin C 80% · Calcium 27% · Iron 4%
PHOTOS
NOTES & TIPS
(1) Cauliflower Florets. About 1 medium head of cauliflower. You can cut florets from a head of cauliflower, or you can buy a 16-ounce bag of pre-cut raw florets located in the refrigerated produce section of many U.S. grocery stores. I recommend cutting the florets into smaller pieces (no larger than 2 inches) so that they cook quickly.
(2) Parmesan Cheese. This is finely grated parmesan that has a sandy or almost powdery texture (not shredded), available in pre-grated bags in the refrigerated section of U.S. grocery stores. This can be substituted with similar cheeses like pecorino romano or asiago.
(3) Heavy Whipping Cream. Some readers have had success substituting with half-and-half or whole milk.
(4) Cream Cheese. Two ounces is one-quarter of a standard 8-ounce brick. I use regular, full-fat cream cheese from the brand Philadelphia, not reduced fat or light versions. The cream cheese is cut into small pieces (see photo) so that it melts rapidly to form the cheese sauce.
(5) Roasting Cauliflower. I usually roast cauliflower florets closer to 20 minutes because I like mine extra tender. If you like yours on the crisper side, then 15 minutes is probably better. Monitor the florets as they bake, and take them out of the oven when cooked to your preference. I’ve tried making cauliflower mac and cheese by roasting cauliflower florets with the cheese sauce in a casserole pan; I’m not a fan of this method, because the cauliflower will exude liquid as it cooks, which thins out the sauce. You’ll end up with soggy cauliflower that tastes more steamed than roasted.
(6) Serving. Cauliflower mac and cheese can be a side dish to a meaty main, or you can make it the main dish and serve with a simple garden salad and a bright vinaigrette. Leftovers can be reheated on the stovetop. If you plan on making this ahead of time, slightly undercook the cauliflower so that it holds up better during reheating.
About Julia
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth, and lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes in a user-friendly format. She typically prefers savory foods over sweet, hence the name of the site. Contact her at julia@savorytooth.null.com.
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newest oldest most voted
Shana
This. Is. So. Good! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’m new to Keto & this is going to make it much easier. Yum!!!
Vote Up3Vote Down Reply
3 years ago
Donna
We had a family gathering. I made Mac & Cheese for everyone and I made this for me. Well, the family left me one tablespoon of this recipe and almost all of the Mac & Cheese was left. Thank you for a great side dish that everyone enjoyed.
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3 years ago
Bear
This turned out really well, overall. The flavorings were too strong for my household, so in future, I’ll probably use half or a third of the mustard, slightly less than half of the cayenne, and half of the garlic and salt, and add in about a tablespoon of butter to replace the mustard to help with emulsification.
Phil
Made this for supper tonight as a side dish for Pork Loin Chops. The family loved it! Great substitution for Mac & Cheese. Will definitely make it again and again.
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4 years ago
Karen
This recipe was amazing! I also added 1/4 tsp of smoked paprika to the sauce. Next time I will cut the salt in half and make that 1/4 tsp also. The amount of sauce was more than enough for a large head of cauliflower (which was 2 lbs on the grocery receipt). I also cooked in the oven (separate from cauliflower, on cooling rack) one piece of good quality bacon, and crumbled that on the top before serving.
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4 years ago
Quinn
This was delicious!!! I did roast the cauliflower with Old Bay seasoning vs adding paprika into the sauce, but it worked out beautifully! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
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5 years ago
Elizabeth
I pan-fried frozen broccoli (didn’t have cauliflower) and used sour cream in place of the cream cheese. It was probably a little runnier with the sour cream, but it was SO GOOD. We loved it. Nice, flexible, fast recipe. Thank you!
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4 years ago
Vanessa Fortman
This is the best cauliflower recipe I had ever found and low carb! after I made this, I sure the extra cauliflower! I’m always gonna bake them from now on! More tastier than boiled! The cheese is very good on this cauliflower! My family don’t like the cayenne seasoning, didn’t have the garlic powder, so I used Mrs. Dash seasoning. The very little of the left over tasted great!
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4 years ago
Penny O
Made it tonight. It’s BETTER than boxed mac n cheese….for sure. I added way more cheese & subbed out smoked paprika for the cayenne. Loved the garlic flavor.
Thank u for the recipe!!
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5 years ago
Amy
I ended up roasting my cauliflower about 25 minutes.. Whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing.
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5 years ago
O T
Excellent recipe! I made the sauce with cream cheese and shredded cheese as noted, but then used unsweetened almond milk and a splash of regular milk, and then paprika instead of the other spices. Tasted great this way too and had the desired orangish color!
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5 years ago
Allyson
Absolutely DELICIOUS!! I had to double the sauce recipe because my cauliflower head was a bit too large for this, which worked out great. I also only used about 1tsp of dijon mustard myself. I baked the entire thing in the oven for an additional ten minutes to crips up the edges and it was wonderful. Very tangy and delicious!
Lyn J
Trying to stay on a Keto/low carb diets. This was a great addition to my recipes!
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2 years ago
tlk
I keep coming back to this recipe for Mac n cheese and it’s wonderful. I really like the little bit of heat and the zing of the mustard. Thank you so much for this!
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3 years ago
Donna
I’m keto, family isn’t. Can I make this using elbow pasta?
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3 years ago
Julia
Yes, that should be fine. Cook the elbow pasta according to package instructions, then toss with the sauce to coat.
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3 years ago
Rich
I’ve made this a dozen times with different cheeses and they were all great.
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4 years ago
Leslie
Can you do this with frozen cauliflower?
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4 years ago
Hilario
Could this be done in an instant pot / ninja foodi with air crisper?
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4 years ago
Julia
Maybe. I really like the roasted flavor that comes from baking cauliflower, so steaming them in a high-pressure environment won’t be the same. Also, the cheese sauce is very thick and comes together quickly on the stovetop, and it would be more time-consuming to make in the Instant Pot because you would need to add a lot of liquid to help pressurize the pot.
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4 years ago
Megan
This is delicious! Obviously a vegetable can’t replace pasta and not taste like a vegetable. It tastes like cauliflower covered in a delicious cheese sauce. It’s a great alternative for Mac & Cheese if your trying to eat healthy. It definitely satisfies my Mac & Cheese cravings!
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4 years ago
Nikaia
Sooo good! And very easy to make too. I like the like cayenne kick 😉 thanks for the recipe
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4 years ago
Bea
I’ve made this recipe several times and played with different infused oils. My favorite so far is the truffle infused olive oil.
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5 years ago
Bree
Yum! I added a tablespoon of swerve, but next time I’ll probably cut the swerve and cayenne in half. But it’s still very delicious!
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5 years ago
Elizabeth
Are you referring to Swerve, the sweetener?
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4 years ago
Erika
How many blocks of cream cheese is 2 ounces?
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5 years ago
Julia
If you’re using 8oz bricks (it should say on your product’s packaging), then 2oz is one-quarter of a brick.
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5 years ago
Caroline M
This was sooooo delicious! Thank you for this fantastic recipe! It really hit to spot! I followed another commentor’s suggestion and added smoked paprika which was delicious. Thanks!
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5 years ago
steven miller
to say this is Great is an understatement!
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5 years ago
Eternity
Try grabbing the Birds Eye SteamFresh Ranch Cauliflower. Soooo good. While a sauce like this is great, when it’s been a crazy day I just zap the cauliflower, sprinkle some cheese and microwave 30 seconds more to melt the cheese a bit more. 6 minutes to a great comfort meal!
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5 years ago
