Cauliflower Casserole

Popsicles are great but a person has to have a decent meal from time to time.

Like ice-cream, for example!

Kidding. Kidding.

The thing is that recently I felt like having some pasta.

I threw an inspecting look into the fridge, found one cute cauliflower in there and the idea was born instantly.

Cauliflower casserole!

Though I was really craving something casserole-like, I started to consider whether it wouldn’t be too rich for summer days like we are having right now.

But after I had the first bite of this dish all worries were gone.

I knew everything was perfectly all right because this dish was light, nutritious, satisfying, flavorful and delicious.

To prove it all I’ll tell you that my man loved it.

And that’s the best evidence!

For me, at least…

These are the ingredients I’ve used to prepare the dish.

Hello, elbow macaroni.

I love that name!

I think that ‘elbow macaroni’ is the cutest named pasta in the whole world.

Don’t you think?

Oh, sorry, here are the instructions!

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

2. This is cauliflower.

What would you do if you didn’t have me here to explain things like these?

Hmm, sorry again! You know – me and the attention span, we are not good friends.

Anyhow, trim the cauliflower, separate it into florets and wash them.

3. Chop the pepper and onions.

4. Melt 1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter in a larger pan over medium heat.
5. Place the onions, peppers and cauliflower into the pan and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.

We don’t need the vegetables to get perfectly soft – the baking will do the job.
6. Set aside.

7. In a separate pan, melt the remaining butter (2 tablespoons – 28 grams) over medium-low heat.

8. Stir in the flour and mix until smooth and bubbly.

9. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.

10. Season with the salt and pepper.
11. Continue cooking and stirring just until the mixture becomes thicker.

12. Then grate the cheese.

You can use any cheese you like.

I’m this liberal!

13. Throw half of the cheese into the mixture.
14. Stir just until the cheese melts.

Then remove the pan from heat.

15. In a larger bowl combine the pasta, cauliflower mixture and the milk/cheese mixture.

16. Pour the mixture  into your baking dish.

17. And sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and with the bread crumbs.

18. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes.

Yum!

This dish tastes best when served warm.

Enjoy, dear friends!

(This dish serves about 6 people.)

23 thoughts on “Cauliflower Casserole

  1. 1

    oh yum, petra! i LOVE cauliflower and think it’s one of the most under-used and under-rated veggies…can’t wait to make this one! thanks for another great recipe (and for making it so easy that even i can make it 😉 )!

    hope you’re having a fantastic week!

    -amanda

  2. 2
    Tes says:

    Cauliflower has a very nice texture… we love cooking it in different dishes. This casserole looks really yummy. and it sounds supper easy to make. Thanks for the recie 🙂

  3. 3
    Joy says:

    Petra, this looks wonderful! I’m curious- what size casserole dish did you use? Or, about how many servings would you say your recipe would yield?

    Thanks! 🙂

    • 3.1
      zoomyummy says:

      Hi Joy! I’m glad you like the dish. It’s truly delicious! I used a 11 x 7 x 2 inches (28 x 18 x 5 cm) baking dish. I guess this could serve about 6 people. Actually, I should add this to the recipe… 🙂 Petra

  4. 4
    cyn says:

    wow, that looks so yummy for these hot summer days. I love cauliflower. My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures.

  5. 5
    carswell says:

    Looks delicious! My mother used to make a very similar macaroni casserole when I was growing up – instead of the cauliflower she used a can of drained diced tomatoes.

    One thing she used to do (and so do I) when making a roux based cheese sauce was to add a generous pinch of cayenne pepper – it will enhance the cheese taste (since cheddar type cheeses often loose a lot of the sharp flavour when cooked).

  6. 6
    grace says:

    never, and i mean NEVER, have i found cauliflower so appealing! great recipe, petra!

  7. 7

    Yum yum yum!

    YUM!

    This is exactly what I need right now.

  8. 8
    Jeanette says:

    Thank you for the great idea! I make several versions of Cauliflower Casseroles but I never thought about adding pasta! I made it tonight using corkscrew pasta and added one freshly chopped jalepeno pepper with the other vegetables and the flavors were fantastic! I too like to add a little cayenne pepper to my cheese sauce and it all worked together perfectly! We couldn’t stop eating!

  9. 9

    What a vegetable this is. I love how versatile cauliflower is. I so tempted to try your recipe later this week (I have 3 heads of cauliflower waiting for me at home.) I will come back to your site and report on how your recipe turned out for sure! Would you like to take a look at my most recent cauliflower creation? http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/09/marinated-cauliflower-salad/

  10. 10
    rachel says:

    love this recipe, i’m making this tonight 😀 thanks for sharing!

  11. 11

    Hi! I came to tell you I referenced your recipe in a blog post of my own, but evidently technology beat me to it. 😉 Thanks for the inspiration! Love your blog! 🙂

    -Alexis

  12. 12
    Shabri says:

    This looks yum, I’m going to try it soon. What kind of cheese did you use?

    • 12.1
      ZoomYummy says:

      Hi Shabri! It was Edam cheese, I guess. Stronger cheeses would taste even better. Happy cooking to you! 🙂 Petra

  13. 13
    CP says:

    Lovely I would definitely try this recipe.

  14. 14
    Jasanna says:

    I just made this and wrote a post about it!! 🙂 🙂 Just wanted to thank you!

    http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/2012/01/cheesy-cauliflower-casserole.html#more

  15. 15
    Donna says:

    This looks so good, normally I buy the cauliflower and then let it go bad, but I think I will actually try this recipe and let you know how we like, Thanks again!

  16. 16
    Abbie says:

    I have just made this, it went from bad to worse in less than 10 seconds. I managed the stir fry part all fine, but as soon as i attempted to make the sauce it just went down hill. The sauce ended up going into a dough’y mixture so i had to add copius amounts of milk to make it back into a sauce mixture. Made if for my family so hopefully it will have turned out well for tonight.
    I like the idea of it though, as in no meat.

  17. 17
    Deborah says:

    I tried this recipe a little less than a year ago, and it has been such a big hit for my housemates. I am a vegetarian college student living with non-vegetarians, so making a dinner that is hearty and tasty is a score! Even though the sauce comes out a bit thicker than in the pictures, it doesn’t seem to make the casserole any less delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!

  18. 18
    Laura says:

    Do you measure 2-1/2 cups of cooked macaroni, or uncooked??
    Thanks.

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