Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Casserole

 I've been obsessed with cauliflower as a substitute for pasta and have been experimenting with some recipes I've found around the interweb.  I haven't tried this one yet but am excited to give it a whirl.  I've tried others and have made a few changes to the recipe, such as adding tuna to it dubbing it "Tuna Cauli Casserole.  When hubby likes it I know I've scored.

Some other changes I've made is to bypass the steaming of the cauliflower, it seems to be too mushy for my tastes.  I just put the cauliflower into the baking dish, add the other ingredients prepared per the recipe and bake it a little longer.  It turned out great.

Original Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Casserole Recipe from George Stella’s "Still Livin’ Low Carb" cookbook. When I first came up with this recipe as a way to appease Christian’s love for Macaroni and Cheese, I had no idea it would go on to become one of my most popular recipes of all time. In fact, it’s the 4th highest rated cauliflower recipe (out of over 300) on Food Network’s website. Oh, and by the way, the number 1 cauliflower recipe on their site is my recipe for Cauliflower Mock Mashed Potatoes! Get 4 complete George Stella Low Carb cookbooks can be found following this link.



Original Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Casserole Recipe from George Stella’s "Still Livin’ Low Carb" cookbook Prep Time 15 min/ Cook Time 30 min/ Serves 8

Shopping List Kosher salt, as needed,
plus ½ teaspoon Cooking oil spray
1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
¾ cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese,
plus ½ cup for topping the casserole
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, seasoning the water with salt.
Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking oil spray. 
2. Cook the cut cauliflower in the boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. (Try it without steaming and bake longer in the oven.)
3. Drain well and pat between several layers of paper towels to dry. Transfer the cauliflower to the baking dish and set aside.
4. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan and then whisk in the cream cheese and mustard, continuously whisking until smooth.
5. Stir in the 1 ½ cups of cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and whisk just until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir all to combine.
6. Top with the remaining ½ cup cheese and bake until browned and bubbly hot, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Helpful Hints To save on paper towels, we’ve found that you can place the cauliflower in a colander and drain the excess water by pressing down on the florets with a heavy bowl.

Calories: 190|Fat: 15g |Protein: 7g |Fiber: 3g |Net Carbs: 4g


Photo: Original Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Casserole Recipe from George Stella’s "Still Livin’ Low Carb" cookbook.