Healthify Mac and Cheese by adding cauliflower! Kids won’t suspect a thing and you’ll secretly be adding nutrition to a favorite comfort food. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is sneaky, but also a perfectly delicious side dish or main dish.
Original recipe posted: September 2014 | Recipe updated: October 2019
My youngest cutie is very adamantly anti-vegetable. I love vegetables and I always have, so it drives me a little bit crazy. I can dangle the tastiest dessert in front of his sweets-loving eyes as bait and he won’t budge. Not an inch. Dan and I have never been ones to force our boys to eat. Our rule is that if they don’t eat the good stuff, they don’t get the bad (yummy) stuff!
So I am ALL about being sneaky when I can be. We go through spurts where we juice kale and spinach and apples together and the boys LOVE it. I have a mild obsession with experimenting with mac and cheese, so I loved being sneaky with this delicious, gooey recipe. Not only is Cauliflower Mac and Cheese sneaky and delicious, but it is also EASY.
If you have a cast iron (or oven-safe) skillet, pull it out. If not, a regular ol’ medium skillet will work great, too.
How To Make Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Add the milk, water and elbow macaroni to the skillet.
Turn the heat to medium-high and once it begins boiling, cook for 8ish minutes, or until the elbow macaroni is nearly (but not totally) cooked through. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the cauliflower florets, 1/2 cup sour cream, olive oil, cheddar cheese, salt and black pepper.
Process/puree until the mixture is creamy.
When the pasta has reached its almost-cooked stage, add the cauliflower mixture to the skillet. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until it is heated through.
Remove from the heat and add an additional 1 cup of cheese. If you are using a cast iron skillet, place it under the broiler for a few minutes. If not, just stir the cheese in until it melts. Either way, tummies in your vicinity will thank you…for feeding them vegetables and gooey-ness simultaneously!
Recipe Notes
- For extra creamy cheesiness, replace all or a portion of the sour cream with cream cheese.
- For a thicker cream texture, replace all or a portion of the milk with heavy cream.
- Serve directly from the skillet or transfer the mac n cheese to a serving or baking dish.
- Fresh minced garlic or garlic powder would be a great addition to this recipe.
How Long Does Macaroni and Cheese Last
If you have leftovers and you are wondering whether to toss or eat, read this article to find out: how long does mac and cheese last.
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Substitute For Milk in Mac and Cheese
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Mac and Cheese Recipes for Thanksgiving – 13 Delicious Ideas!
Mac and cheese is a Thanksgiving staple! Read on for some scrumptious mac and cheese recipes for Thanksgiving that you can make this year! You’ll find a ton of options to choose from in this roundup.
Cauliflower Recipes
- If you really love to have low carb options available, try this Cauliflower Stuffing recipe! It’s an easy, healthy side dish for your next holiday meal! Cauliflower stuffing is a low carb, gluten free recipe that does not lack in flavor. Add this delicious dish to your next Thanksgiving spread!
- Replace rice with this veggie-packed Cauliflower Mushroom Rice side dish. It’s easy to make and prepared in 15 minutes. Packed with flavor and texture plus this recipe also complies with the Whole30 program!
- Roasted Vegetables – Roasting vegetables is super easy and it results in a deliciously crispy, flavorful side dish. This recipe will turn veggie haters into veggie lovers! Swap out vegetables in this recipe for any you might have on hand, such as cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms or onions.
- Cauliflower Fried Rice is a healthy version of the classic Chinese take-out favorite. Serve as a side with any meal and no one will know cauliflower is involved! This tasty little side dish is done in less than 30 minutes and is packed with flavor. Tastes great solo with a splash of soy sauce or as a side dish to any meal.
Healthy Recipes for Kids
Knowing you can help your kids get the nutrients they need in more than one form is what we want to help you accomplish! We’ve put together a list of delicious foods that our kids don’t see as healthy but allow them to enjoy eating their fruits and/or vegetables in a snack or breakfast item. You’ll be happy they’re eating better choices and they are happy to be blissfully unaware.
- Healthy Breakfast Cookies – These cookies aren’t just for breakfast and they are deceptively delicious. Kids will never know how healthy they are!
- Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups – Eliminate artificial and unknown ingredients by making your own homemade fruit roll-ups! This is the ultimate snack food for kids. Great for lunch boxes, too!
- Healthy Breakfast Muffins – Enjoy breakfast the healthy way! Whip up a batch of these muffins as a perfect on-the-go meal or a snack to stay on track with healthy eating. These breakfast muffins are beyond delicious plus they’re packed with good stuff.
- No Bake Granola Bars – These Healthy No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars are the perfect snack for little ones. Filled with dried fruit and chocolate, peanut butter and honey, you will satisfy your sweet tooth with a snack you can feel good about eating. There is something comforting about knowing EXACTLY what goes into your kids’ bodies!
- Healthy Fruit Dip – This Fruit and Veggie Dip is creamy, healthy and ADDICTING. Kids LOVE this stuff! Great healthy after-school snack option.
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 oz elbow macaroni
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 2 cups white cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the elbow macaroni, water and milk to a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until pasta is nearly done.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the cauliflower, 1 cup of the cheese, sour cream, olive oil, salt and pepper. Process/puree until mixture is creamy. Add mixture to the skillet after pasta has reached near-doneness. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until mixture is warmed through.
- Remove from the heat and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. (Alternate last step: If using a cast-iron skillet, top with cheese and broil for 3 minutes.) Serve warm!
Can it be frozen?
I know that some people don’t feel like dairy is great frozen and reheated. But I have had some good meals reheated that are cheesy. Feel free to let it cool completely, then place it in an airtight container to freeze it in. When you are ready to eat it, let it come to room temperature and reheat it with a little milk in a pan on the stove over low heat.
A little disappointing for me. Even with using whole milk, I needed to use extra cheese, flour, and extra broiling time to get the sauce to thicken up. I also thought it was still pretty cauliflower-y. Maybe that’s just me, but I was expecting it to be less apparent. I will say, adding bacon helped quite a bit, and the final broil did as well. Still good, but I don’t think I’d make it again, sadly.
Thank you for checking back in and sharing. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out like you hoped!
I make this for my kids every week! I use homo milk, add mustard for flavour and swap the sour cream for cream cheese which made it creamier. I also put 2 cups of cauliflower instead of 1 and no complaints from the kids! Delicious!!!
That’s great to hear!
It was absolutely delicious! I used 2% milk and it worked out great. I love using cauliflower as much as I can! Thanks for sharing!
Also very soupy. Can you use less water? See how it comes out after broiling. In the oven now!
I made this and (after reading the comments) used whole milk and it came out EXACTLY like picture! I would say that using whole milk is key.
Mine was also super runny. I ended up having to drain most of the liquid off and add some flour… I also didn't use whole milk, so maybe that was it, like Mommy Ashley said. Still tasted great, though!!
This didn't turn out well for me. Mine was super runny–I had to pile in a lot more cheese to get it edible. I'm going to assume that the consistency was messed up due to me using less than whole milk.
Stephanie-he ate it! But I have to say that if I had put any more than 1 cup of cauliflower in, I don't think he would have. Or if the cauliflower had been any color but white. 🙂 Let me know if your 3-year-old likes it!!
Megan
So… I have to ask… Did this work? Did Sammy eat it? I too have a 3 year old with "veggie aversion." Looks delicious by the way!
Mmm so much yumminess in a skillet! This looks great!