Cauliflower mac 'n' cheese | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

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Cauliflower mac 'n' cheese

With crispy garlic breadcrumbs

  • Vegetarianv

With crispy garlic breadcrumbs

“I’ve written this recipe to serve 6, but it’s easy to double up if you want to get into the batch-cooking vibe and get an extra meal or two in the freezer, or if you want to safely drop a dish on a neighbour’s doorstep (just don't forget to back away once you've rung the bell. Social distancing, people!). You can get this prepped in the morning, ready to bake up for lunch or dinner. Happy days. ”

Serves 6

Cooks In45 minutes

DifficultyNot too tricky

Keep cooking and carry onCauliflower

Nutrition per serving
  • Calories 477 24%

  • Fat 11.6g 17%

  • Saturates 6g 30%

  • Sugars 9.8g 11%

  • Salt 1.1g 18%

  • Protein 21.8g 44%

  • Carbs 75.6g 29%

  • Fibre 5.8g -

Of an adult's reference intake

Recipe From

Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • 15 g unsalted butter
  • 1 leek
  • 1 stick of celery
  • ½ a bulb of fennel , optional
  • 1 small head of cauliflower , (600g)
  • 450 g dried pasta
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • 500 ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 1 teaspoon English mustard
  • 100 g mixed cheese , such as Cheddar, Parmesan, feta, halloumi
  • 100 g stale bread
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • a few sprigs of fresh herbs, such as thyme or oregano , optional
  • olive oil

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

Recipe From

Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. Put a large shallow ovenproof casserole pan on a medium heat with the butter.
  3. Trim, halve, wash and slice the leek and add to the pan. Stir regularly while you trim, slice and add the celery, then trim, chop and add the fennel, if using.
  4. Break the cauliflower into florets, then cut into 2cm-thick slices and finely slice the stalk and any nice leaves. Add the stalk and leaves to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until soft but not coloured, stirring regularly.
  5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes (5 if using macaroni). Reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water, drain the pasta and pour into a 25cm x 35cm baking dish (or divide between smaller ones), along with the cauliflower florets.
  6. Stir the flour into the veg pan for 30 seconds, then gradually pour in the milk, stirring all the time, followed by 500ml of water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the mustard and season with sea salt and black pepper.
  7. Let the sauce blip away until thickened while you coarsely grate the cheese.
  8. Stir the cheese into the sauce, then blitz until smooth with a hand blender, or in batches in a food processor.
  9. Pour over the pasta and cauliflower florets then, if you need to loosen it, add a little reserved pasta water – the sauce will thicken up as it bakes.
  10. Blitz your stale bread into crumbs in the processor (or smash up in a clean tea towel). Peel and grate the garlic. Pick the herb leaves, if using, and mix it all together with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  11. Scatter the crumbs over the pasta, grating over more cheese, if you’ve got it, then bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Tips

Two of my girls are gluten-free and it’s easy to swap gluten-free pasta and flour into this recipe. Either switch out the bread for a gluten-free alternative or leave out altogether. You could always sprinkle over some seeds instead.

EASY SWAPS:
– Use whatever pasta you’ve got, penne, fusilli, or even a mixture.
– Hero broccoli or squash instead of cauliflower, if that’s what you’ve got.
– You can swap out leeks for onions.
– When it comes to cheese, use whatever you’ve got, this is a great recipe for using up odds and ends.
– On the herb front, thyme, oregano, marjoram or chopped rosemary would all be delicious, or even a pinch of dried herbs.
– No English mustard? No problem, use Dijon mustard instead.

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Recipe From

Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On

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© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Cauliflower mac 'n' cheese | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why does my cauliflower cheese sauce go watery? ›

If you overcook the cauliflower before it's cooked in the cheese sauce, your dish will have a disappointing soft texture with watered-down sauce. Although there are some tricks to apply if you overcook vegetables, your best bet is to aim for undercooking the vegetable a little.

Why did my cauliflower cheese curdle? ›

Cooking the cauliflower cheese at too high a temperature can sometimes cause the cheese to split, resulting in a slightly oily, grainy texture. A split sauce can also be avoided by removing the sauce from the heat before adding the cheese.

How do you get the liquid out of cauliflower? ›

The trick with cauliflower is: Don't cook it till is too soft. just 4 or 5 minutes but taste to be sure. then drain into a colander, (sieve with big holes) and leave to drain for a few minutes, asking every minute. tap dry with a little kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.

How do you keep cauliflower from getting mushy? ›

The key to nonmushy cauliflower lies in how you cut it: Break apart the large head into smaller florets. Now take your knife, and starting at the stem end of the floret, slice about halfway down and snap apart.

What are the 3 best cheeses for mac and cheese? ›

What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

What's in Bob Evans mac and cheese? ›

Cooked Enriched Pasta (Water, Elbow Macaroni [Semolina (Wheat), Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid]), Milk, Water, Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread (American Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Water, Whey, Sodium Phosphate, Contains Less than 2% of ...

Why do you soak cauliflower before cooking? ›

If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.

What country does cauliflower cheese come from? ›

Cauliflower Cheese is a British dish that is served as a side or even as a main (vegetarian!) It's a cauliflower bake, smothered in a creamy cheese sauce that's popped in the oven until bubbly and golden.

Is cauliflower cheese a main meal? ›

Cauliflower cheese is a traditional English dish. It can be eaten as a main course, for lunch or dinner, or as a side dish. Cauliflower cheese consists of pieces of cauliflower lightly boiled and covered with a milk-based cheese sauce, for which a mature cheese (such as cheddar) tends to be preferred.

Why can't you reheat cauliflower cheese? ›

Can you reheat cauliflower cheese? Yes you can, and it will taste fine… But just be aware that it will dry out a little and the cauliflower will be a little bit softer… not a deal breaker, but definitely not as good as fresh! Simply place any leftover cauliflower in a lidded container and refrigerate.

How to know if cauliflower cheese is bad? ›

How do you tell if Cauliflower Cheese is bad? It's easy to tell if your cauliflower cheese has gone bad. First, simply look for any signs of mold- these can be green, blue, or white colored splotches on the cheese. Mold is an obvious sign that it's gone bad and you should absolutely not consume it.

Why does cauliflower cheese upset my stomach? ›

Cauliflower provides essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients, but it can also cause stomachaches or abdominal cramps. The culprit behind the stomachaches is cauliflower's fiber content, which becomes most troublesome when you increase your fiber intake too rapidly without giving your body time to adjust.

How do you fix watery cheese sauce? ›

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

Why is my cheese sauce liquid? ›

The basic building blocks of cheese are milk protein (casein), water, fat, and salt. When heated, the protein molecules break apart and become fluid.

Why does my cheese sauce go runny in the oven? ›

Overcooking is the main reason cheese sauces split. The béchamel sauce only needs to be hot enough to melt the cheese, which you should add gradually, mixing gently until it is fully incorporated.

Why is cauliflower so watery? ›

If you find that that the cauliflower you make is watery it's because you are not drying it out properly on the stove after it's boiled. The trick to the perfect cauliflower mash is to drain it really well and let that water evaporate in a pan on medium heat for 5-6 minutes before it's mashed.

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