Cauliflower Mac and Gouda

I never really eat cauliflower or gouda cheese so I was excited to make this dish. It turned out to be a nice size so we had it for leftovers for lunch the following days. I realize why Gouda cheese is expensive— it is ridiculously good! I couldn’t stop eating it while preparing the dish. It is really good and can definitely be a nice add to a fruit and cheese platter plus a glass of wine. Adding the Panko bread crumbs at the top gave it a nice crunch and added another type of texture. This was delicious and pretty easy.

Cauliflower provides us with a lot of health benefits too. For instance, one serving of cauliflower contains 77 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. It’s also a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese. Check out this article on the Top 8 Health Benefits of Cauliflower.

One of the reasons I have decided to stick to being a Vegetarian or Pescatarian is because I can not go Vegan and give up cheese I love cheese. Click link to answer your questions of What Are the Important Nutrients in Gouda Cheese?

Here’s to the recipe…

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta

4 cups milk

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1/2 stick of butter plus 3 tablespoons butter, divided

5 tbs all purpose flour

1 pound Gouda cheese, shredded

1 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving pasta water; keep warm. Return water to a boil.
Bring milk, garlic to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat; keep warm. Discard garlic.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in large sauce pan over medium heat; whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk, whisking after each addition. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.
Add cheese, mustard, paprika to sauce; whisk until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Preheat broiler. Add cauliflower to boiling pasta water. Cook 3-5 minutes or just until tender; drain. Toss pasta and cauliflower with sauce. Spoon pasta mixture into 6 to 8 ramekins or a 13×19 baking dish.
Melt remaining 3 tbs butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add panko; stir just until moistened. Sprinkle panko mixture over pasta mixture. Broil 2 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!