I love this stuff. It’s a mac and cheese with cauliflower, but with chiocciole pasta instead of elbow macaroni. Chiocciole takes its shape from its name, which means snail in Italian. It’s a great vessel for holding the cheesy sauce. And the best part…it’s delicious and lower in fat than most mac and cheese recipes. The original recipe is from the Real Simple website.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. Sorry about that. I do have some fun stuff up my sleeve, so get ready. I promise they will be worth the wait.
Cauliflower Chiocciole and Cheese
- 12 ounces chiocciole or elbow macaroni
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups reduced fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup 1 percent milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- dash of freshly grated nutmeg
- bread crumbs
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Heat oven to 400º F.
Heat a large pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté onion for 3-5 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add cheese, sour cream, milk, Dijon mustard and nutmeg.
Cook pasta according to the package directions (or just a few minutes under); adding the cauliflower during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Transfer the cauliflower and pasta with a slotted spoon to the onion and cheese mixture. Transfer to a baking dish and bake 12-15 minutes.
In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup bread crumbs with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, stirring frequently until slightly toasted and fragrant. Sprinkle over baked pasta.
Drizzle with a finishing olive oil. Good stuff.
We’ve been hard at work on the pizza oven. And when I say we, I really mean Dad and Sunshine. Check out these latest photos of the men at work.
Sunshine applying the mud over the insulation blanket and chicken wire.
Now we just have to wait for it to dry, and then apply the decorative exterior tiles and bricks. And that makes Sunshine one happy boy.