Lactose-Intolerant Friendly Mac & Cheese with Broccoli and Cauliflower recipe

This week’s Vindicate the Vegetable is Brocolli. Broccoli is another veggie that hubby and I love to have as a side. Normally, I just steam some fresh broccoli and serve it along the side of any main course. But that’s not very exciting to blog about. I thought I’d try out some of the new cheeses I recently found and make up some mac-n-cheese with cauliflower and broccoli like I saw Rachel Ray make recently.

I really liked this mac-n-cheese. I was so excited to be able to eat a cheesey meal!! The brocolli and cauliflower add some texture and flavor to the mix. I definitely think this recipe would not have been as good without the brocolli.

Mac-n-Cheese – from Rachel Ray
Coarse salt
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped pasta) – I used Penne
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets – I used 1/2 head of cauliflower and 1/2 head of brocolli
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter – I used Earth Balance
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk – I used soy milk
1 cup chicken stock or broth
3 cups shredded smoked Gouda – I used Sheep milk Gouda and sheep milk cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked al dente and the florets are just tender. Drain well and return to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and heat with the butter until it melts. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to sweat them out and turn the juices sweet. Raise the heat a bit, then whisk in the flour, cayenne, and paprika. Whisk together until the roux bubbles up, then cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and stock and raise the heat a bit higher to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop the heat back to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the cheese to the thickened sauce and stir to melt it, a minute or so. Stir in the mustard and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour over the cauliflower and cooked pasta and toss to combine. Adjust the seasonings, transfer to a large platter, and serve.

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4 Responses to “Butternut Squash soup in the Crockpot”

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    Robyn — November 7, 2008 at 5:39 am

    I have found taking pictures of soup to be more challenging but you make it look easy!

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    Jen — November 7, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    I agree – soup is hard to photograph. This soup was very thick and chunky. Our bowls are all navy blue so I didn’t want to use that, so I just used my square plate since it was white.

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    Steph — November 9, 2008 at 6:51 pm

    Inspired by your post, I made this yesterday. The texture was tough for me to deal with (I blended it with a food processor), but Scott liked it. Next time I might try it without the cinnamon (and without blending it), maybe make it a little less sweet. Thanks for sharing!

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    Jen — November 9, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    Sorry you didn’t like it 🙁 It is sweeter. Have you tried the other butternut squash soup in my blog. That one isn’t so sweet. And its very creamy.

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