Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
 

I've tried many different low carb variations on this old favorite, but this one with cauliflower is still closest to my heart. Maybe because cauliflower goes so well with ham or bacon (which I always add.) And cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable; one of your health powerhouses.

In any case, the original recipe I got from George Stella, but here's after I fussed with it:

5 cups cauliflower, fresh (or frozen & thawed) chopped into florets & chunks
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese, softened in microwave
1 1/2 teaspoons horseradish mustard
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups ham cubes (or crumbled, cooked, bacon to taste)

Use an 8 by 8 inch baking dish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or 350 degrees if using Pyrex.) Spray baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

Rinse and microwave the raw cauliflower until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Use salad spinner to dry. (If using frozen, cook about half the time indicated on the package--you want it to finish cooking in the oven.) Put cauliflower in dish, top with meat.

Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, and whisk in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in shredded cheese & pepper and whisk until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, pour over the cauliflower and ham. Top with another 1/2 cup cheese and bake until browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let stand for ten minutes to firm up sauce.

Nutritional Info for the Whole Thing:

Carb Protein Fat Fiber Calories
46 113.9 183.7 20.5 2250

Of course, you can use different cheeses. I love Pepper Jack!

This sounds awesome!

And with the weather forecasted cold, cloudy, and rainy this weekend; I think it is time for some cooking experiments!

Thanks for sharing.
Katie

OMG, this sounds amazing. I love mac and cheese. Gotta try this.
Thanks.

I don't know how I never saw this recipe before. Definitely need to give it a try!

I made this lastnight, oh so good!!! I used Mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar though, because I'm sensitive to cheddar. I did end up having to leave it in the oven longer than 20 minutes as it was still a little too crisp and the cheese on top hadn't browned. The sauce is super amazing, I was tempted to eat it out of the saucepan.

Lol, didn't I read in some other thread that Paula Deen was making one of these on some show today?

This sounds phenominal!! Can't wait to try it!

I will have to try this!

This is one tried and true dishes.

Going to give this a shot soon.

Annd, this is getting made next week. Thanks for sharing!

Made this tonight - you're awesome for posting this. It's a super easy HIT!

Okay, I'm seriously craving some good old macaroni and cheese. I found an old box of Dreamfields pasta in the pantry, and made some using a recipe that is quite common on the web. It didn't turn out great--the pasta soaked up all the sauce. And judging by how sleepy I got after eating a moderate portion, I think the carbs were not "blocked" in any way.

But I'm kind of afraid of cauliflower. Will this really come out okay, or if I don't like cauliflower will it be a waste of cheese? Any other veggies that might work for this? Has anyone made it with zuchinni?

Also works well with broccoli. Or just make the cheese sauce and put it over your vegetables. (Zuchinni is to delicate to work in this recipe.)

But whatever you do, don't start with the Dreamfields Pasta. They were fined for deceptive advertising.