Cauliflower Spinach Mac and Cheese

With extra protein from cottage cheese and extra creaminess from Laughing Cow triangles, this cauliflower spinach mac and cheese is a tasty delight! And a somewhat healthier comfort food dish. 

When we lived in Paris back when our daughters were little, I used to buy La Vache qui rit - Laughing Cow - cheese as snacks for them because 1. It was creamy and delicious, and 2. The little triangles came individually wrapped which made handing them to small children a breeze, plus 3. They didn’t need to be refrigerated if I was packing them for a trip to the park. Bonus: They are high in the calcium needed for growing bones.

Nowadays, you do find them on display in the refrigerated section of the supermarket but the official website assures me that they are actually shelf stable due to the high temperature at which they are created. 

When I was developing this recipe, I was looking to up my protein intake and cottage cheese came to mind. But cottage cheese, even blended till smooth, isn’t all that creamy and that's when I remembered the triangle cheese and how it's made!

According to the website, “The Laughing Cow cheese is made by mixing milk powder (which is blended with water to bring it back to milk), cheeses and butter with emulsifying salts. The emulsifying salts simply play the same role as the citrate in fondue Savoyarde, stopping separation and creating a lovely creamy texture.” Who doesn't love a cheese fondue? It’s been made that way since 1921!

I also added a good amount of freshly grated Parmesan for more cheesy oomph! This was a hit with my husband who wanted to go back for seconds at dinnertime but restrained himself. But guess what he had for breakfast the next morning. Yep!

Cauliflower Spinach Mac and Cheese

I used the lighter Laughing Cow cheese and low-fat cottage cheese but you can use full fat versions, if desired. I like the little bitty elbow macaroni for this but use whatever kind you can find. Just know that weight will be a more accurate measure than cups, if you do use a bigger macaroni. 

Ingredients

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

8oz or 225g cauliflower florets

8 1/3 oz or 235g baby spinach

6 oz or 170g elbow macaroni (a well-rounded cup)

Olive oil for greasing the baking dish

10oz or 284g low fat cottage cheese

½ cup or 120ml milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

8 Laughing Cow (light) cheese triangles (120g)

3 ½ oz or 100g Parmesan, grated

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne, optional

For topping:

1 oz or 28g Parmesan

3 tablespoons panko

Sprinkle paprika or cayenne, optional

Method

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil with the salt. 

Chop the cauliflower florets roughly and set aside. 

I'm picky about my spinach so even when the bag says "washed and ready to eat," I go through it leaf by leaf, tossing any bruised ones and pulling the stems off. If you aren't so picky, skip this step.

When the water comes to the boil, add in the macaroni and set a timer for four minutes less than the recommended time for cooking it al dente. 

When the timer goes off, add in the cauliflower. 

Cook for one minute less than the prescribed al dente time. 

My macaroni said 9 mins to al dente, so I boiled it 5 minutes to start then added the cauliflower and set a timer for 3 minutes: Only 8 minutes total cooking time for the pasta.  

Drain the macaroni and cauliflower in a colander, retaining some of the water for possible use later. Rest the hot pot off the stove so it can cool a little.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF or 180°C and grease a casserole dish with a little olive oil.

Blend the cottage cheese, milk and cornstarch in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth and creamy.

Pour the mixture into your pasta pot over low-to-medium heat. Cook for a minute or two, stirring well.

Add in the Laughing Cow and grated Parmesan cheeses. 

Stir continuously until the cheeses melt and the sauce is thoroughly heated through and bubbling. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t catch. 

Add in the baby spinach and give it a good stir. The spinach will wilt quickly!  

Add in the macaroni and cauliflower. Stir well to thoroughly combine.

Taste the mixture and add salt to your taste, as needed. With all that cheese, you may not need any. Add a few generous grinds of black pepper and a good sprinkle of cayenne, if using, and stir again. If it seems a little dry, you can add a little of the saved pasta water. 

Spoon the mixture into your prepared casserole dish. 

Mix together the topping ingredients.

Sprinkle them evenly on top with some paprika or cayenne, if using.

Bake for 30 minutes in your preheated oven or until the dish is hot and bubbling and golden on top. You can put the broiler/grill on for the last couple of minutes to get the top more brown, if you’d like.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for everyone’s favorite comfort food, mac and cheese! Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Baked Penne and Cheese from A Messy Kitchen
• Cauliflower Spinach Mac and Cheese by Food Lust People Love
• Gruyére and Emmentaler Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Sourdough by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Instant Pot Chicken Mac and Cheese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Keto Roasted Cauliflower Cheese by Sneha's Recipe
• Spicy Cheezy Orzo by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join. 

Pin this Cauliflower Spinach Mac and Cheese!

.

Creamy Cheddar Cauliflower Soup (Instant Pot)

This Creamy Cheddar Cauliflower Soup is the perfect savory bowl, made with extra sharp cheddar and chicken broth. And it’s quick to cook in an Instant Pot! 

One of my husband’s all-time favorite dishes is baked cauliflower cheese so I knew this soup would be an instant hit. I was not wrong. The best part is that it is simple and, cooked in an Instant Pot, it takes hardly any time at all. 

I like to serve it with extra extra sharp cheddar on top, which endears it even more to my cauliflower cheese loving spouse. 

Creamy Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

This easy Instant Pot recipe is super flexible. If your cauliflower is a bit bigger or smaller, no worries. I give the weight of mine below, just as a guide. This recipe is adapted from one on Faith Hope Love and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower (about 2 lbs 7oz or 1100g, whole)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large onion, peeled

2 small stalks celery

1/2 cup or 63g all-purpose flour

5 cups or 1185ml chicken stock, divided

1 teaspoon Colman’s mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/2 cups or 360ml milk

1/2 cup or 120ml heavy cream

6 oz or 170g extra sharp cheddar, grated, plus extra for serving, if desired

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Optional for garnish: chopped green onions

Method

Trim all the green leaves off of the cauliflower and cut the head into small florettes. Finely chop the stalks. 

Finely dice the onion and celery. 

Place the butter and olive oil in your Instant Pot on the sauté normal setting. 

When the butter is melted, add the onion, celery and chopped cauliflower stalks to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the flour to the pot and stir well to mix it into the softened vegetables. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly pour in half of the chicken stock, whisking constantly to avoid creating lumps. Whisk in the mustard, salt and both peppers. 

Add the cauliflower florettes to the Instant Pot and stir to coat with the stock and seasonings. 

Add in the rest of the stock.

Set the Instant Pot on for manual for 15 minutes. Immediately release the pressure by covering the valve with a towel and opening it carefully so you don’t get burned by the steam. 

Add the milk and cream into the pot, stirring well. 

Turn the Instant Pot on the sauté low setting and toss the grated cheese for the soup with the cornstarch to coat. 

Add the grated cheese a handful at a time, stirring well in between. Cook until the soup is warmed through and slightly thicker.

Serve with extra grated cheese for topping, if desired, and chopped green onions for garnish. 

Enjoy! 

It's Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes made with cauliflower and broccoli, two of my favorite vegetables. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe. Check out the links below:

• Buffalo Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Cauliflower Cheese from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cauliflower Curry Pathare Prabhu Style from Sneha's Recipe
• Creamy Cheddar Cauliflower Soup (Instant Pot) from Food Lust People Love
• Stirfry Chicken, Broccoli, and Cauliflower from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tandoori Cauliflower Steaks from Mayuri's Jikoni

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this Creamy Cheddar Cauliflower Soup!

 .

Cauliflower Sourdough Crumpets #BreadBakers

These cauliflower sourdough crumpets are cooked in butter, which gives them wonderful golden outsides, perfectly complementing the tender insides made of sourdough starter and tiny cauliflower bits.



I’m always looking for easy recipes that use up sourdough starter discard so when I found this one on the King Arthur Flour website, I couldn’t wait to try it. Like every recipe I’ve made from the KAF website, it did not disappoint. But that got me thinking. What else could I add to the original to add flavor and nutrition without affecting the look of the crumpets?

And so these cauliflower sourdough crumpets were born. I made them one afternoon when my husband and I had somehow skipped lunch and it took the two of us mere minutes to demolish all five crumpets, with and without cheese. The flavor of the cauliflower is subtle but definitely there. In short, we loved them. I have a feeling they will be on regular rotation whenever I have sourdough starter to discard. 

Cauliflower Sourdough Crumpets

Many supermarkets carry ready-made cauliflower “rice” in the refrigerator section of their produce departments but it’s easy enough to make at home. Grate the cauliflower florets or pulse them in a food processor until they resemble small pieces, similar in size to short grain rice. This recipe is easily doubled but, as written below, it makes 5 crumpets.

Ingredients for five crumpets

1/2 cup or 70g cauliflower “rice”

1 cup or 227g sourdough starter (unfed/discard)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/8 teaspoon baking soda*

Butter for greasing English muffin rings and pan

*If your discard starter is particularly sour, you might want to increase the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon.

Method

Steam your cauliflower “rice” for about three minutes and then press it to get rid of as much liquid as possible.

Put it in a large mixing bowl and set it aside to cool.

Add the sourdough starter to your cooled cauliflower, along with the sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir well to combine. The batter will start to bubble up almost immediately. 

Heat your nonstick griddle or large frying pan over medium-low heat. 

Lightly grease five English muffin rings (1" high and 4" across) and place as many as will fit flat on your pan. I cooked mine in two batches, three and two. Melt a pat of butter in each then use a pastry brush to cover the pan inside the rings with the butter. 

Divide the batter evenly among the buttered rings. I used a 1/4 cup measuring scoop to fill each ring up about halfway. 

Cook for about 5 minutes, until the tops are set and full of small holes. Run a knife around the edge of the rings and carefully lift them off. Use a spatula to turn the crumpets over and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until they are golden on the other side as well. 

Remove from the pan and keep warm while you repeat the process to cook the rest of the crumpets.

Serve the crumpets warm, spread with butter. They are also excellent with some grated cheddar on top, which really goes great with the cauliflower. 

Enjoy!

This month my Bread Bakers group is sharing breads made with vegetables. Many thanks to Renu of Cook with Renu for hosting! 

• Butternut Squash Sourdough Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Carrot Sandwich Bread by Ambrosia
• Cauliflower Sourdough Crumpets by Food Lust people Love
• Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Bread by What Smells So Good?
• Garden Harvest Vegetable Bread Loaf by Making Miracles
• Potato Rosemary Focaccia by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Purple Pain de Mie by A Messy Kitchen
• Spinach Spiced Sourdough Discard Bread by Cook with Renu
• Tomato Garlic Biscuits by Palatable Pastime
• Vegetable Focaccia by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Bread by Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Cauliflower Sourdough Crumpets! 

 .

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a delicious twist on a family favorite, adding extra nutrients to our comfort food. No one can resist the cheesy goodness!

We talk about eating the rainbow for optimum health, which seems to imply that only the most colorful vegetables are high in nutrients. But despite its bland appearance, cauliflower is actually one of the most nutritious vegetables, with one serving supplying more than 70 percent of our daily recommended intake of vitamin C, along other vitamins and nutrients. It makes the top 30 list compiled by the Center of Disease Control.

For this cauliflower mac and cheese, I like to choose macaroni that is a bit bigger than your average elbow variety. Then I chop the cauliflower florets into pieces about the same size as the macaroni will be when it is cooked. This gives the dish a more homogeneous look and texture, so if you are feeding picky eaters who would normally try to separate the veggies from the pasta, they likely won't even notice the cauliflower. The sharp cheddar sauce makes it all taste like deliciously normal mac and cheese.

Love cauliflower? You might enjoy my Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust, Cauliflower Cheese Waffles and Cauliflower Leek Roquefort Tart. All three are seriously good. 

Variations on Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Sometimes I make this cauliflower mac and cheese with bacon, as outlined below; sometimes I make it without. Either way, it’s delicious and filling enough to be a main course. It’s also very tasty with some chopped frozen spinach thawed then added to the cheese sauce. Serve it alongside a fresh green salad, or with some sun-ripe summer tomatoes simply seasoned with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Ingredients
8 oz or 227g pasta
1 small head cauliflower (about 11 1/2 oz or 325g florets), divided into florets and chopped
6 1/3 oz or 180g smoked streaky bacon, chopped – about 5 thick-cut slices (or 3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil)
4 tablespoons flour
1 small onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 cups or 480ml cold milk
12 oz or 340g extra sharp cheddar or cheese of your choice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne - optional
1/2 cup or 35g fresh bread crumbs

Method
Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, setting the timer for half of the recommended al dente cooking time. Add in the chopped cauliflower when your timer goes off. Cook pasta till al dente.

Drain and set aside, still in the colander, while you make the cheese sauce.

Fry the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and all but three tablespoons bacon fat. If you don’t have enough fat, make up the difference with butter, canola or olive oil.

If you don’t want to add bacon, start with three tablespoons of butter, canola or olive oil.

Sprinkle in the flour and mix well to make a roux.  Cook the roux for a few minutes to get rid of the floury taste.

Add the minced onion and garlic into the roux. Cook over a low fire until they are softened.

All at once, whisk in the milk, whisking quickly so that the flour and milk don’t form lumps.

Cook until the sauce thickens and reduces in volume, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350° or 180°C and butter or grease a baking pan or casserole dish.

Add in three quarters of the grated cheese and stir until melted. Add in the dried mustard and stir.  Season with salt, black pepper and a little cayenne, if desired.

Pour the cauliflower and pasta back into the pot with the bacon, saving a little of the bacon to sprinkle on top.

Pour on the sauce and fold to combine. In case you are wondering why it isn't orange, my favorite extra sharp cheddar is an Australian brand. They don't tend to put the coloring in it that many American cheesemakers do.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared baking pan or read note below.

Note: If the pan you cooked everything in is ovenproof, you could skip transferring the mixture to a baking dish, and move on to the next step - the topping- but for me, the best cauliflower mac and cheese is all about the crunchy, chewy top covered with extra cheese and bread crumbs, baked till golden. So I like to spread mine out in a wide dish to maximize the square footage of that top.

Combine the reserved cheese and bacon with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the cauliflower mac and cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy on top.

Enjoy!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that while my husband and I will fight over the crispiest bits, our younger daughter would have you skip the last step altogether. She likes her mac and cheese straight from the pot, unbaked and sans crunchy pieces. If your kids feel the same, the last step can indeed be skipped.

After all, today’s Sunday Supper event is all about getting kids and other picky eaters to eat their veggies. If you are looking for delicious recipes that will add more healthy vegetables to your family menu, check out this week's kid friendly vegetable recipes for picky eaters. Many thanks to our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections and our host for this event, Anne from Simple and Savory for all of their work behind the scenes.

Kid Friendly Vegetable Recipes for Picky Eaters

Breakfast

• Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Creamy Kid Sized Smoothies by The Freshman Cook
• Sweet Potato Crust Quiche by Pies and Plots
• Sweet Potato Muffins with Veggie Cream Cheese by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Dinners

• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese by Food Lust People Love
• Chicken and Broccoli Shells and Cheese by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Eat Your Veggies Beef Tacos by Simple and Savory
• Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce for Orange Orzo by Caroline's Cooking
• Veggie Ramen by NinjaBaker.com

Sides

• Broccoli Tots by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Cheesy Cauliflower by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Kid-Friendly Baked Potato Fries by Hardly A Goddess
• Salad on a Stick by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Zuppa di Ravioli by Gourmet Everyday

Snacks

• Dairy Free Veggie Ice Pops by Our Good Life
• Healthy Homemade Taquitos by Cricket’s Confections
• Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies by A Mind Full Mom
• Veggie Egg Rolls by My Savory Spoon

 

Pin this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese!

 .