Baked Macaroni and Cheese With Cauliflower and Ham

"a 'healthier' alternative to the traditional mac and cheese."
 
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photo by MsPia photo by MsPia
photo by MsPia
Ready In:
45mins
Ingredients:
18
Serves:
2
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ingredients

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directions

  • Blanch cauliflower for 5 minutes.
  • Refresh under cold water; drain well.
  • Cook pasta until al dente.
  • Refresh under cold water; drain well.
  • Cook onion in 1 tblsp butter over moderately-low heat until softened; stir in flour and cook 2 minutes.
  • Whisk in milk, cream, Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring, and simmer for 3 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center of oven.
  • Add 1 cup of Cheddar and all of the Parmesan, stirring, until completely melted.
  • Stir in macaroni, cauliflower and ham and season.
  • Mound into prepared baking dish and top with remaining Cheddar.
  • Toss breadcrumbs with remaining 2 tsps butter (melted) and sprinkle over cheese.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, or until topping is golden.

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Reviews

  1. We liked this very much. I too chose this recipe to use up leftover ham, and since we are trying to reduce with a low carb diet, I substituted all cauliflower instead of including the pasta. The cheese sauce, which had started out thick became watery when baked, probably because the cauliflower exuded more juice, where the pasta would not have, and I did not put bread crumbs on top, which would have also absorbed some of the liquid. The added spice ingredients give great flavour. Next time I will precook the cauliflower and drain it very well, or maybe even use roasted cauliflower to eliminate the extra liquid.
     
  2. My hubby and I enjoyed this very much, and it was a great way to use up leftover ham and cauliflower- my boys (age 5, 7, 11) tried it but didn't like it..I'm always on the search for a recipe that goes over well for all the picky eaters in my family! I will keep this recipe on hand for future..
     
  3. I was disappointed in this recipe and thought it lacked flavor. When I fix it next time, I will add a dash of paprika and worcestershire sauce to the sauce.
     
  4. This is a good weeknight recipe - easy and not too much prep time. We really enjoyed the cauliflower in this recipe, and the nutmeg added a nice flavor. (I love nutmeg!) Next time I will add some frozen peas for a nice color contrast, and a pinch of cayenne to "kick it up a notch". Thanks for sharing, evelyn/athens.
     
  5. WOW! This was a yummy recipe, and definitely one that will be made again since my nit-picky DD had 3 helpings!! She almost always finds something about meals to complain about, but this she inhaled the first serving and then asked for seconds and again for thirds. I did make one small change, I substituted broccoli for the cauliflower. I really enjoyed the flavor of this dish. Thanks for posting it!
     
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Tweaks

  1. WOW! This was a yummy recipe, and definitely one that will be made again since my nit-picky DD had 3 helpings!! She almost always finds something about meals to complain about, but this she inhaled the first serving and then asked for seconds and again for thirds. I did make one small change, I substituted broccoli for the cauliflower. I really enjoyed the flavor of this dish. Thanks for posting it!
     
  2. We liked this very much. I too chose this recipe to use up leftover ham, and since we are trying to reduce with a low carb diet, I substituted all cauliflower instead of including the pasta. The cheese sauce, which had started out thick became watery when baked, probably because the cauliflower exuded more juice, where the pasta would not have, and I did not put bread crumbs on top, which would have also absorbed some of the liquid. The added spice ingredients give great flavour. Next time I will precook the cauliflower and drain it very well, or maybe even use roasted cauliflower to eliminate the extra liquid.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<style>body { background: url("http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3512121819_f2f1aaf050.jpg?v=0"); background-repeat: repeat-y; }</style> OK, here goes. I live in Athens, Greece. I moved out here many, many years ago from Ottawa, Canada - so I am blessed in having two wonderful heritages! I suffer from compulsive obsessive behaviour with regard to food and my psychiatrist thought it would be a good idea to find a 'society' where many have the same problem and try to find a cure. So far, I've copied a couple of thousand recipes from this site and my psychiatrist has thrown the towel in and refuses to answer the phone when I call. What did I do wrong? Got 3 kids that keep me on the go - 10 and under at this point (2008) - I may not get round to updating this for a few years, so you'll have to do your own maths. I teach English full-time and Greek Cookery part-time. I would like to make the cooking part of it full-time and the English Grammar part of it part-time. That's all for now.
 
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