We all go through it with our kids: The daily struggles of getting them to eat their fruits & veggies. Sometimes it’s so gratifying and rewarding when you actually win the “battle” before it even starts!
What if I told you I could get your child to eat cauliflower and actually ask for seconds! Yes, seconds! Not only is it delicious, it’s nutritious. Let’s face it, that’s the combo we’re always looking for!
I was with my son shopping in the supermarket the other day and we came across these adorable little colorful cauliflowers… I had never actually seen them in colors like this before and my son was fascinated with them! I’ve tried a million times (well not a million, but pretty close to it) to get him to eat the white cauliflower before and he would flat out refuse, so I thought, WOW! Let’s try this!
So I did. I put them in mac & cheese and they all went nuts over it… asking for seconds. (They really got a kick out of the colors, and we made up a story about alien brains with them. If you have boys, you’ll get what I’m saying!) We’ve had cauliflower mac & cheese about 3 times in the last week, and I couldn’t be happier. You certainly could do this with the white cauliflower, and I will for sure the next time I make it too.
Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
6 Mini Cauliflower florets or 1/2 a head of white cauliflower
1 pound macaroni
2 1/2 tbs. butter
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Salt & White Pepper to taste
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the cauliflower florets and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In another pot of salted water, cook the macaroni according to the box.
While the macaroni is cooking, in a saute pan melt the butter and then slowly whisk in the liquid ingredients. Once all is combined well, add 1/2 of the cheese and and allow to melt while continuously whisking over a medium low heat. Takes about 3 minutes, add remaining cheese and continue to whisk and melt.
In a large bowl combine macaroni, cauliflower that’s been cut into smaller pieces, and the cheese sauce together. Mix and coat the macaroni and cauliflower and then pour it into a Pyrex dish that’s been sprayed with non stick spray. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top to help create those crunchy bites and cover with aluminum foil and place into a preheated oven on 350 for about 25 minutes.
Once it comes out, you won’t believe how deceptively delicious this colorful mac & cheese will be!
(I gotta say, the sauce is so good you can even pour it directly over the cauliflower if you wanted to omit the macaroni too!)
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