one-pot cauliflower & kale (or other stuff) mac & cheese

By gwen

I like a lot of the recipes on the site that rhymes with Shmaf-Shmaked Shmarvest, but the ads are so invasive that it's almost impossible to read on my phone while cooking. So here's what I did tonight:

  • 1 pound short-cut pasta (I used the Barilla protein elbows)
  • 1 medium cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • lots of chopped kale, stems removed (this was my addition; recipe says you can also use spinach or any other leafy green) 
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 oz cream cheese
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 2 c shredded cheese (recipe calls for sharp cheddar; I had some weird bagged mac & cheese blend that J bought on sale)
  • 1 c shredded cheddar (recipe calls for fontina or provolone)
  • 2 T butter (recipe calls for salted; i used unsalted; this was plenty salty as it was imo)
  • pinch cayenne
  • some panko or breadcrumbs 
  • fresh chopped parsley and/or chives

Preheat oven to 350 (the baking at the end is optional) 

In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons salt, the pasta, and cauliflower, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Do not drain the water. (I did not read the recipe carefully, probably because there was a pop-up obscuring half the screen, so I did not measure the water, put in way more than 4 cups, then drained most of it out at the end of this step.)

Add the kale or spinach if using. 

Stir in the milk, cream cheese, mustard, and garlic powder, and cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente, about 4-5 minutes more.

Add 2 cups of cheese and butter, and stir until melted and creamy. Remove from heat. Season with pepper and cayenne. 

Optional but I did it: Smooth out the top and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese and some panko. Bake for 20 minutes, until brown on top. Sprinkle with chopped herbs.


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