Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Category
Pasta
Servings
8
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Cauliflower gratin with gruyere cheese has always been one of my favorite dishes so I tweaked the recipe to work in a mac and cheese format. The Pizza Dust seasoning adds a savory depth of flavor to this dish without overpowering the Gruyere or the cauliflower.
Author:Fiona Kennedy
Ingredients
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4 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter, divided
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1 large onion, skin discarded and thinly sliced
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1 medium head cauliflower, leaves and core removed and sliced into ½-in. thick slabs (about 7 cups)
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1 ½ cups heavy cream
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1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
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3 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. Pizza Dust (7290), divided
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8 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (about 3 loosely packed cups)
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1 pound dried pasta (macaroni, penne, small shells, or my current favorite, Pipe Rigate)
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1 cup fresh bread crumbs or dried panko bread crumbs
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¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Directions
Heat oven to 400F. Take a 13 X 9-in. pyrex dish and use the 1 tsp. butter to coat the bottom and sides.
Heat 2 Tbs. butter in a medium pot over medium heat and add sliced onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until onion is translucent, but has not picked up any color. Add cauliflower, heavy cream, stock and 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. Pizza Dust seasoning. Bring mixture to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low and cook 7-9 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender. Let mixture cool for a few minutes.
Place half of the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Repeat with other half. (If you have an immersion blender, go ahead and blend mixture in the pot.) Transfer cauliflower mixture to a large mixing bowl. Stir in grated cheese.
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta 1 minute short of the cooking time. Drain pasta and add to the cauliflower mixture and mix well. Transfer pasta to the pyrex dish and smooth out the surface.
Melt remaining 2 Tbs. butter in a small sauce pan. Remove pan from heat and stir in bread crumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, and remaining Pizza Dust seasoning (2 tsp.). Sprinkle this mixture over the pasta and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pasta is bubbly and bread crumbs are browned. If crumbs are getting brown before pasta is bubbly, simply place a piece of foil loosely over the pasta.