Cook once, eat 8 times! That is how I live. Whether or not this recipe makes 8 servings for you, I cannot promise, but what I do promise is that it tastes great! By throwing the vegetables into the water with the pasta in the last few minutes of cooking, you can save yourself from having to cook them separately and using another dish. This time I added broccoli and used frozen. Cauliflower was $6 a head. The frozen turned out great and had someone else made this, I don’t think I would have noticed it was frozen instead of fresh. I also added more broccoli and cauliflower total that the 5 cups listed, as I wanted to make sure I have half a plate of vegetables in every serving. If you do add extra vegetables, make sure you use a big enough baking dish!

Find a downloadable PDF version of this recipe here: Cauliflower and Peas Mac and Cheese

Makes 8 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes, Cook time: 65 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 bulb garlic
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 box (3-Cups) whole-wheat macaroni
  • 5 cups chopped raw cauliflower florets
  • 2 cup frozen peas
  • 2 ¾ cups low-fat milk, divided
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 10 ounces shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided
  • 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • Cooking spray or oil
Cauliflower-peas-mac-and-cheese-nutrition-facts

Directions:

  • Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Trim off the top of the bulb of garlic. Place bulb in aluminum foil. Drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Fold up foil to cover bulb and roast in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove creamy garlic once cool, place in a small bowl and mash into a paste. *
  • Heat a medium sized frying pan and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add chopped onion and sautéed until caramelized.
  • Chop cauliflower, remove peas from the freezer, and grate cheese.
  • Coat a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
  • When water boils, cook pasta 1 minute less than time according to package instructions. In last 2 minutes of cooking time, add cauliflower and peas to cooking liquid. Drain thoroughly (the pasta and vegetables will continue cooking in the sauce and while baking).
  • Meanwhile, heat 2¼ cups milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not simmering. Whisk the remaining ½ cup milk, flour, Dijon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and white pepper in a small bowl. Whisk the flour mixture into the steaming milk, and continue heating, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 4 minutes. Stir in the roasted garlic. Remove from the heat and stir in 8 ounces of cheddar. Stir until melted and smooth.
  • Stir cheese sauce into pasta and cauliflower. Transfer the pasta to the prepared dish (it will seem very loose.) Top macaroni with the breadcrumbs, onions, paprika, and remaining 2 ounces of cheddar cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake until bubbling and the breadcrumb topping is golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Let sit about 10 minutes to cool before serving.

Adapted from: https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/cauliflower-pea-and-edamame-macaroni-and-cheese/

Notes: *if you do not have time to roast garlic, you may choose to sauté garlic with the onion or add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the cheese sauce.