cauliflower bechamel macaroni and cheese

I realize this dish may sound strange if you’ve never heard of it. Okay, well, maybe just the cauliflower is. From there, add your cooked noodles and it's ready to serve as is.What, you’ve never had cauliflower cheese before? Why, it’s right up there on the American Heart Association’s recommended diet, above the kale and below the oat bran. Add about a cup and a half of cheese and stir until it's fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Then, off the heat, add grated cheese to the bechamel. Then, let cook for a couple more minutes until it thickens a little bit more. This should be about a cup and a half to two cups. Add milk until the mixture is just a little bit thicker than plain milk. Adding it all at once may produce lumps, so go slow to start. Whisk to combine and cook for a couple minutes, or until it's homogenous and the raw flour smell is gone.Īdd milk, a little at a time, and stirring after each addition. Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in the saucepan, and add the same amount of flour. To start, take a saucepan that will hold the capacity of sauce you'd like to make. It sounds fancy, and kind of scary, but it's not hard and uses ingredients you likely already have in your pantry or fridge. The most reliable way to make a smooth, delicious mac and cheese is with a bechamel. It amps up the flavor and makes you feel like you're really cooking! If you have a bit of parm or cheddar in your fridge, grate it and mix it in near the end of cooking. You can also consider garam marsala for a sort of curry mac and cheese.įinally, you can also add extra cheese. You can also consider adding seasonings, like mustard powder, paprika, garlic powder, to your mac and cheese. Leftover meats, like chicken or beef, also round out the meal a bit more. Some add peas, diced carrots, or onions, which add a bit of variety in texture and flavor. You can add veggies to boxed macaroni, cauliflower and broccoli are classics, but you can add anything you like.

There are also now tons of options for boxed macaroni - if you're really worried about the stuff in the blue box, there are tons of organic, low-sodium, and even vegan options.

There are tons of ways to round out a box of macaroni and make it into a delicious, and slightly more balanced meal. People tend to look down on boxed macaroni, but it's a great tool if you're feeling lazy, and doesn't have to be the fattening sodium-bomb people make it out to be.

Cauliflower bechamel macaroni and cheese