My mom makes a fabulous, infamous mac and cheese. It involves multiple types of cheese, the making of a roux and a bechamel and ultimately the most silky, perfect cheese sauce you can imagine.
This is NOT my mom’s multi-step, full-sink-of-dirty-dishes mac and cheese. This is a simple, down and dirty, one-pot mac and cheese. It is also PERFECT, in its simplicity. I add cauliflower or broccoli when I make it, because honestly, it’s just easy to do so, and it blends right into the dish. Why not get an extra dose of vegetables when it’s this easy?
Find the full article on The Epoch Times.
One-Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 pound pasta shells or cavatappi or whatever you have in the pantry
- 2 cups cauliflower florets (about 1/4 head of cauliflower)
- 4 ounces sharp Cheddar
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp mustard powder
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine milk, water, and salt and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta, reduce heat to low, and cook for two minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and cook, stirring often, until pasta is al dente (almost cooked through, but not totally soft!). Check your package instructions for timing guidelines, but be sure to taste the pasta as you go since it will cook a little differently in milk versus water.
- Turn heat to low and stir in the cheeses, one handful at a time, until completely melted. Stir in remaining ingredients.Taste for seasoning and add more salt, garlic powder, or mustard powder if desired.
Notes
Cooking Tips
I purposefully kept the ingredient list minimal for this recipe, but feel free to jazz things up by using multiple kinds of cheese. Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and Gouda are all good options.
Make buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese by stirring 2 to 3 tablespoons of buffalo hot sauce in at the very end! It’s WONDERFUL – the second picture in this post is actually buffalo mac!
Don’t want to add cauliflower? No problem—you can simply eliminate it and use the same proportions of water and pasta. Broccoli would also be delicious there!
This mac and cheese freezes wonderfully. Double the recipe and freeze half for dinner next week, or next month. Then just throw it in a pot, add a splash of water, and reheat over medium-low heat.
Do you love crunchy breadcrumbs on your mac and cheese? Saute 1 tablespoon butter with 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs in a large skillet over medium heat until golden brown.
