Cauliflower Mac N' Cheese

We enjoyed this very much -- my son finished off the pan! Although this is a bit more work than regular mac n' cheese it is also a tad more healthier thant the reg recipes. No one will guess the secret ingredient is caulflower in this recipe. Recipe source: local newspaper which adapted the recipe from The Food Matters Cookbook.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1⁄2 cups vegetable broth or 2 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  cauliflower, cored and separated into large pieces
• 8  ounces macaroni (we used small shells)
• 1⁄2 cup cheese, grated (we used sharp cheddar but this is also a great recipe to clean out the cheese drawer and use bits an)
• 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
•  pepper
• 1⁄3 cup parmesan cheese, grated (I used the packaged Kraft grated cheese)
• 1⁄2 cup  breadcrumbs (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with Pam or use a small amount of oil to grease pan.
3. Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt. When it reaches a boil add cauliflower for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Transfer cauliflower to blender or food processor. We used a blender but I think a food processor may be a better option. Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes; drain; rinse and put in prepared baking dish.
4. In a small sauce pan put in the broth and bay leaves and heat over medium low heat. When small bubbbles appear (5 minutes) turn off heat and let broth stand. Remove bay leaves from broth.
5. Process cauliflowe with 2 cups of the broth, 2 T oil, the cheese, mustard , nutmeg, and salt and pepper. You may need to work in batches -- my blender overflowed a bit. If sauce becomes too thick add the remaining broth (1/2 cup).
6. Pour sauce over pasta. ***can be refrigerated one day if desired; bringing to room temp before proceeding.***.
7. Sprinkle to with Parmesan and bread crumbs.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is bubbling and crumbs turn brown.