Eleven ingredients and fifty-five minutes, with a roux sauce built while the pasta and cauliflower cook.
The sauce is pale ivory rather than orange, and the top is a buttered panko crumb rather than more cheese.
Why This Recipe Works
- Pulling the macaroni just shy of al dente leaves room for the bake.
- Steaming the cauliflower barely tender keeps the florets intact.
- Cooking the flour in butter takes the raw taste out of the roux.
- Monterey Jack and Parmesan both melt pale, which keeps the sauce ivory.
- Buttered panko browns and crisps in fifteen to twenty minutes at 400.
Ingredient Notes
- Cauliflower florets
- Four cups, small and steamed barely tender. They accompany the macaroni rather than replacing it — both are in the finished dish.
- Monterey Jack and Parmesan
- A cup and a half and half a cup. Both melt pale, which is what keeps the sauce ivory rather than orange.
- Elbow macaroni
- Eight ounces, cooked just shy of al dente. It keeps cooking under the sauce during the bake.
- Panko with melted butter
- Half a cup with a tablespoon of butter. The butter is what lets a crumb topping brown rather than just dry out.
How to Make It
Pasta shy of al dente, cauliflower barely tender
Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook macaroni until just shy of al dente. Steam cauliflower until barely tender; keep florets intact.
Roux, then milk, lightly thickened
Melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, then gradually whisk in milk. Simmer until lightly thickened.
Two pale cheeses
Add Monterey Jack and Parmesan, salt, and pepper to make a pale ivory cheese sauce.
Both in roughly equal volume
Fold macaroni and cauliflower together in roughly equal visible volume with the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish.
Buttered panko, fifteen to twenty minutes
Toss panko with melted butter, scatter over the top, and bake 15 to 20 minutes until browned and crisp.
No broccoli, no meat, no orange cheese
Do not add broccoli, bacon, meat, or orange cheese.
Equal Volume, Not a Substitution
A dish called cauliflower mac usually means cauliflower standing IN FOR the pasta. Here the cauliflower ACCOMPANIES the macaroni instead. The bar below shows that in measures; shares are drawn from the quantities for the bar only.
- Small cauliflower florets, steamed barely tender4 cups
- Elbow macaroni, just shy of al dente8 oz
- Whole milk2 cups
- Shredded Monterey Jack1 1/2 cups
- Grated Parmesan1/2 cup
- Panko breadcrumbs, tossed in melted butter1/2 cup
Step 4 sets the rule in words as well as measures - folded together in ROUGHLY EQUAL VISIBLE VOLUME so both remain identifiable. Two other decisions follow from that. The cheeses are Monterey Jack and Parmesan, both of which melt PALE IVORY; step 6 leaves out orange cheese, and broccoli too. And the browned surface is a BUTTERED PANKO crumb rather than more cheese: 1 tbsp of melted butter through 1/2 cup of panko is what lets it brown and crisp in 15 to 20 minutes at 400F instead of merely drying out. No bacon, no meat, no green vegetable.
Success Tips
- Steam the cauliflower barely tender; soft florets break up when folded.
- Whisk the milk in gradually so the roux does not lump.
- Toss the panko in butter before it goes on, not after.
Serving Ideas
Six servings from a white baking dish, the cauliflower florets and macaroni together in the thick pale cheese sauce under a browned crisp panko crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the cauliflower replace the pasta?
No. Cauliflower accompanies the macaroni here, and step 4 folds them together in roughly equal visible volume so both stay identifiable.
Why is the sauce pale rather than orange?
Because the cheeses are Monterey Jack and Parmesan, both of which melt pale. Step 6 rules out orange cheese.
Could I use broccoli instead?
No — step 6 leaves broccoli out.
