Skinny Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Less fat AND less calories. Except taste and flavor is not compromised AT ALL! So cheesy, comforting and irresistible!
You know that saying, “Have your cake and eat it too?”
Well.
That’s what’s happening here.
You can have your cake.
With less fat.
And less calories.
With veggies sneaked in.
That you probably won’t even notice.
Because you’ll be too distracted by all that cheesy creaminess.
Don’t worry.
That’s completely normal.
Skinny Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Less fat AND less calories. Except taste and flavor is not compromised AT ALL! So cheesy, comforting and irresistible!
Ingredients
- 3 cups cavatappi pasta
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half and half, or more, as needed
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Within the last 3 minutes of cooking time, add cauliflower; drain well.
- Melt butter in a 9-inch oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in half and half, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in cream cheese, Dijon and garlic powder until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup cheese until melted, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more half and half as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in pasta and cauliflower; gently toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
- Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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My daughter and I loved your recipe. Thank you for posting it. Will make it again soon.
This recipe has become a staple in my home, and almost every potluck over the past 3 years (back when we could share food ). The cheese sauce is EVERYTHING! Incredibly easy to make and modify to suit your taste. I almost always leave out the pasta, and add any kind of seasoned ground meat and crushed red pepper flakes for some heat. Love, love, looooove this recipe
I made this tonight and it was delicious! It did take about 3/4 cup more half and half for me, and I topped it off with a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs and some tobasco. I will definitely make again!
Hi where can I find the nutritional information? Thanks!
Jenifer, nutritional information is actually provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if you would like to make changes to a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I cannot find the nutrition information. What is the calorie count? Carb count?
Catherine, nutritional information is actually provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
Gruyere? Milk? Reading through the comments, it sounds so good, but are we looking at different recipes?
THis is very good. I did change a couple things. I substituted organic ghee for butter, gluten free flour and gluten free brown pasta. I substituted coconut milk for half and half , about 1.5 cans. I used 1 tsp mustard powder and Dijon mustard. I mixed in puréed butternut squash for color and to squeeze in more veggies about 1 cup. I sprinkled top with crunchy red peppers and fresh parsley. YUM!
Thanks
Love this recipe! My husband is diabetic and the carbs in regular mac and cheese just were too much. I love the idea of filling it out with cauliflower. Genius idea! I also recently found Birds Eye Zucchini Lentil Pasta which is significantly lower in carbs than regular pasta. I used it in this recipe and the combination of your recipe and the lentil pasta made this a low carb win! Thanks!
Why would you get rid of the original recipe altogether? Now your recipe is similar to the other ones on google and I was specifically looking for the old one because I like that recipe better. Seems like other people do too. I’m disappointed I never printed it out. I searched forever until I finally realized this is where the recipe is supposed to be. Now I don’t even have the correct ingredients from the store.
I’ve made this before but did half sharp cheddar half Gouda. Delicious!!! I’m wondering though, could this be cooked on the stovetop instead of baking? Thanks!
Yes, of course!
I love all your recipes and I’m sure this one will be no exception! However, you used to have a different skinny cauliflower recipe posted here that my family loved! I never printed it out because I save a lot of my recipes on Pinterest. Some of the ingredients were: 3 cloves garlic minced, 1 onion diced, 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, 1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk or more, to taste, 1 cup gruyere cheese shredded, 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, etc. Is there any way I could get that recipe from you again?
Unfortunately, I no longer have access to the old recipe. This new recipe is a revamp of the old one and it’s 10000x better. Promise! 🙂
No! Where is the original recipe??? 🙁
We made this great mac and cheese yesterday and it was absolutely delicious!
We used fat reduced milk and cream cheese. Thank you so much for sharing!
Greetings From germany!
Is there a nutritional fact list? I want to know how much sodium is in the recipe
can you make this recipe without the pasta?
Yes.
I made this today and it was delicious and easy! First time making mac and cheese where it turned out great. Cavatappi is the way to go.
This is really delicious and easy to make…perfect for Lent! But, how is this “skinny”??? Half and half, cream cheese, cheddar cheese??? I’m not complaining; I just think maybe you should rename it!
Made this tonight and though I’ve seen tons of your recipes on Pinterest this is my first foray into DamnDelicious land.
Wow.
Made it exactly as written (although bacon or chicken or jalapeños will go into future variations) it is nearly a perfect side dish.. adding a protein would get you main dish status but I am stunned at how great this was..
Sprinkled scallions on top instead of chives as scallions are always in my fridge and it was perfect. Sriracha drizzled on the portions really elevated it. This recipe will be in my rotation for life.
This was really good, I had to add quite a bit more half & half to thin. I am trying to like cauliflower but I am giving up, it is just a flavor I can’t seem to like other than cauliflower pizza. I will definitely do this again with broccoli or asparagus. I did the cheddar cheese version & it was excellent.
Just had this for supper, delicious!!! One thing though, is the pasta amount of one cup correct?? I used more like 3 cups, as one cup didn’t seem like enough, and is was perfect, very saucy and cheesy still with that amount. I didn’t have an oven safe skillet either so just threw it in a 9 x 11 glass dish and into the oven, will definitely make again and again! Thanks for the recipe!
Yes, 3 cups is correct!
That’s 3 cups of DRY pasta, NOT 3 cups of cooked pasta, right…?
Correct.
Addition of cauliflower makes it more adorable for people like me. I prefer enjoying deliciousness with less calories and hiding veggies to get kids dig in. This is a great dish . Trying it out soon