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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Hidden Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

    Published: March 26, 2018 · Updated: December 5, 2020 · By: Krissy · 28 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Hidden Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great way to sneak in a healthy vegetable and mask it with delicious creamy mac 'n' cheesy comfort food.

    This is a recipe for homemade mac and cheese with pureed cauliflower hidden inside. Your family may or may not notice, but it's always fun to try and sneak in extra veggies!

    cauliflower Mac and Cheese

    Hidden Cauliflower Mac and Cheese might just surprise you. Cauliflower... I'm not a huge fan.

    I have friends go on and on about how much they love cauliflower and how many different ways they eat it - roasted, cut into thick "steaks", made into "rice" which is just raw cauliflower cut to look like rice.

    You can't fool me.  The only way I eat cauliflower is if its covered in cheese or a wonderful dip. I will admit, however, that I do devour buffalo cauliflower bites.

    How does one hide cauliflower in mac and cheese?

    Good question.

    I got a head of cauliflower and decided to steam it, puree it with half and half, and sneak it into some mac n cheese.

    Pureed cauliflower added to mac and cheese

    How to make cauliflower mac and cheese:

    The only difference between my hidden cauliflower mac and cheese and regular mac and cheese is that I mixed in that smooth cauliflower puree.

    You will still cook the pasta and then mix it into the cheese sauce. For my original version of this recipe, I used a combination of sharp cheddar and jalapeno jack because its what I happened to have in my frig, but any cheeses that melt nicely will do.  Go ahead.  Be creative.

    I popped the pasta into the broiler for a few minutes to slightly brown the top because there are fewer things in this life better than crispy browned cheese straight from the oven (bacon, for example, is one of those fewer things).  But there is a huge part of me that enjoyed the pasta more before I put it in the oven because it was just so creamy and yum.

    Only you can decide what works best for you.  Be sure to let me know if you pulled one over on your family and you got any non-lovers-of-cauliflower to eat it.

    Watch the recipe video below!

    mac and cheese with cauliflower

    Hidden Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese

    Hidden Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great way to sneak in a healthy vegetable and mask it with delicious creamy mac 'n' cheesy comfort food. This is a recipe for homemade mac and cheese with pureed cauliflower hidden inside. Your family may or may not notice, but it's always fun to try and sneak in extra veggies!
    4.77 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

    CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Scale: 8 servings
    Recipe Created By: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    • 16 oz macaroni
    • 1 head cauliflower (see notes)
    • ½ cup half and half (divided)
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups whole milk
    • 12 ounces cheese (grated (roughly 3 cups, use sharp cheddar, pepper jack, gouda, fontina, gruyere, or a combination))
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • fresh ground pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • In boiling salted water, cook macaroni. Cook just slightly al dente. Drain, do not rinse, and set aside.
    • Separate cauliflower florets from stalk and steam until soft and tender. Puree in blender with ½ cup half and half.
      Hidden Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese | Self Proclaimed Foodie
    • Combine butter and flour in pot over medium heat and whisk to form a roux. Add milk and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add shredded cheese, cauliflower puree, garlic powder, mustard powder, and salt in large pot. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Add in drained pasta and stir until well combined. Serve with fresh ground pepper.
    • If preferred, put in oven safe dish and broil on high 5 minutes to slightly brown the top, giving a toasted nutty flavor.

    Notes

    You can also use cauliflower rice instead of a head of cauliflower. You will need about 4 cups, or 32 ounces, of cauliflower rice to equal one head of cauliflower

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 619mg | Potassium: 312mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 665IU | Vitamin C: 6.6mg | Calcium: 406mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nadia

      January 25, 2022 at 1:50 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
    2. Cee

      January 18, 2022 at 3:48 pm

      Excellent recipe! My
      Husband is not a fan of cauliflower and he loved it! He’s been raving about it to everyone. I used a yellow cauliflower for cheesy color, Gruyère and Extra Sharp Cheddar for the cheese choices, topped with Panko and drizzled with truffle oil after removing from the oven. This is now my official Mac & cheese recipe. Over time I plan to experiment with eliminating the half and half to make it healthier. Happy I decided to try it. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        January 29, 2022 at 7:19 am

        Super smart about the yellow cauliflower!

        Reply
    3. Brandy

      June 29, 2021 at 6:13 am

      To save time I’ve used frozen riced cauliflower. My family loves it!

      Reply
    4. Nicole

      January 08, 2019 at 4:08 pm

      4 stars
      Instead of half and half and flour, I used an immersion blender to blend cottage cheese with the cauliflower and a little of the veggie water, and used plain, unsweetened almond milk instead of dairy milk because that is what I had on hand. I also put in the oven afterwards with a little panko on top for 15 minutes. It was fantastic- highly recommend!

      Reply
    5. Dianne

      September 02, 2018 at 10:21 am

      5 stars
      I make a similar recipe all the time, it's the only mac'n'cheese we eat. Going to try it with a few tweaks off your recipe tonight!

      Having people over so steam in bag cut cauliflower florets to start cuts down prep time 🙂

      I second the paprika and cayenne addition. I also add panko (or crushed goldfish!) and more cheese to the top before broiling

      I always make a double batch and freeze half with the similar recipe, never any problems. Just dont put the extra cheese or panko/crackers on before you freeze. Let it thaw, 350 for about 30-45 with foil on until heated through then remove foil, top and broil on low for a few mins to get golden brown and bubbly!

      Reply
    6. George Letscher

      May 23, 2018 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      Very good recipe. I followed instructions, and put a few extra items in:
      Some cayenne pepper powder and paprika. Saw the roux and figured it would be nice with a touch of heat.
      I roasted part of the cauliflower head with salt, pepper, olive oil and white vinegar. Did it at 375 for 30 minutes. Added to mac and cheese mixture right before baking.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        May 25, 2018 at 5:50 am

        Excellent suggestions!!!

        Reply
    7. Katie

      April 11, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      Could I use Dijon mustard instead of mustard powder? If so, how much? Planning on using Dijon. I used to work in a restaurant that made Mac n cheese with a bit of dijon and it was delicious. I just don’t feel like going to the store for one ingredient that I will never use for anything else.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        April 12, 2018 at 9:51 am

        Absolutely! I would start with a teaspoon and work up from there depending on taste.

        Reply
    8. Kait

      March 21, 2018 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      Like some earlier comments, I found the cheese sauce to be grainy when following the directions (not the recipes fault, but it will come down to blender power). I used my immersion blender afterwards to smooth it out which fixed it up. Definitely steam the cauliflower until it can easier be pierced with a fork and blend the heck out of it!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        March 23, 2018 at 10:00 am

        Totally agree! Thanks for the feedback, Kait!

        Reply
    9. Liana

      November 19, 2017 at 2:47 am

      Hello! If I wanted to make this then freeze & reheat for Thanksgiving - how long would you recommend reheating?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        November 20, 2017 at 5:06 am

        Hi Liana, I would just ensure that it's fully thawed before you bake it. Then I think 30min covered with the last few minutes uncovered at 350F would do the trick.

        Reply
    10. Joan

      February 25, 2016 at 6:13 pm

      Have you tried freezing this recipe?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        March 20, 2016 at 9:53 am

        I have not... but if you do, will you let me know if it takes okay when reheated? Thanks, Krissy

        Reply
    11. Tonia Vale

      January 27, 2016 at 3:51 pm

      Hi there

      Made this tonight. We all enjoyed it. if you do not like cauliflower you will not like it.
      Cauliflower has a distinctive taste and you can taste it. It was delicious and super moist.
      I like making a recipe exactly the way its told first time. Next time I would use fresh garlic.
      thank you

      Reply
      • Krissy

        February 01, 2016 at 6:25 am

        Couldn't agree more! Krissy

        Reply
    12. tootsie

      May 16, 2015 at 1:14 pm

      I had a Mac and cheese where the cauliflower was not pureed but finely chopped and included bacon. As a non veggie eater, do you have any suggestions? Any pitfalls that I might encounter? Thank you for this recipe, I am going to give it a try.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        May 20, 2015 at 11:06 am

        Hi Michelle, The texture of the cauliflower is masked in this recipe but unfortunately, you can still taste it a little bit. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I also love throwing in very small pieces of broccoli in the water during the last minute of boiling the pasta and mix that in as well (or instead of). Plus, as you wrote, bacon makes everything better! - Krissy

        Reply
    13. Shannon

      April 25, 2015 at 4:28 pm

      made this tonight, it was delicious and no one knew there was cauliflower in it! I added bacon!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        April 26, 2015 at 8:07 am

        Mmmm bacon. Yum!!! -Krissy

        Reply
    14. Cindy

      April 04, 2015 at 5:28 pm

      Wow, delicious! My friend's 8 year old who doesn't eat veggies gobbled this one up! It was so creamy and delicious!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        April 05, 2015 at 5:51 am

        Awesome, Cindy! Thanks for letting me know! - Krissy

        Reply
    15. holly

      August 19, 2014 at 6:48 am

      5 stars
      I can't wait to make the cauliflower macaroni and cheese

      Reply
      • spfoodie

        August 19, 2014 at 7:01 am

        Holly, You'll have to let me know how you like it! -Krissy

        Reply
        • Suzie

          October 13, 2014 at 11:52 am

          Made this today. Sorry but I think it will be a miracle if my family eats it. I followed the recipe to a T. The flavor is too bitter and the texture if too grainy. I will stick with making a roux. Kinda bummed at the moment. I hate writing neg reviews and I usually don't unless I really didn't like the taste.

          Reply
          • spfoodie

            October 13, 2014 at 1:37 pm

            Hi Suzie, I'm very sorry to hear that! When I made it the texture was super smooth. I wonder if you steamed the cauliflower long enough? Mine was pretty fresh as well... not sure if that had anything to do with it. Mine didn't taste bitter. The cauliflower taste wasn't completely masked, but it was definitely more subtle than if you just had a side of it and it wasn't bitter. Hopefully this won't deter you from trying other recipes! -Krissy

            Reply

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