Mac 'n cheese update (improving on a classic)

Recipe: Cauliflower mac 'n cheese

Everybody loves mac 'n cheese. I've made the same recipe for years, with a white sauce to which you add cheese and finally the cooked macaroni. It's not hard but it does take a little time and effort to make. Recently, I looked online for a recipe because I couldn't find my old recipe - it was in a magazine and I was too lazy to look for it. See what the Internet does to us! Anyway, I found this recipe that originally came from Jamie Oliver. It's so much easier and truly delicious - I think even better than my original.

Here's a version with cauliflower, which adds tons to the taste even though it's already good. And it's a great way to get your veggies while pigging out on pasta. You have to try this!

Cauliflower Mac 'n Cheese

• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut in small florets and stems sliced
• 10 ounces dried macaroni
• 6 ounces of sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 ounces grated Parmesan plus a couple tablespoons for sprinkling before baking
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I use light sour cream)
• A pinch of ground cumin
• A pinch of cayenne

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Add the macaroni and the cauliflower florets and sliced stems, and cook until the macaroni is nearly done, about 6 minutes.

In a small heavy saucepan, put the cheeses and sour cream over very low heat to melt. Or, alternatively, set a heat-proof bowl in a steamer over the cooking macaroni and cauliflower and put the cheeses and sour cream in it. Either way, when the cheeses start to  melt, stir them until they are smooth. If you have set a bowl over the macaroni water, remove it carefully - it will be hot. Add salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne to the cheeses.

Taste the macaroni when it has cooked 6 minutes - it should be the tiniest bit hard yet. Scoop 1/2 cup of the pasta water out and set it aside. Then drain the macaroni and cauliflower in colander and  return it to the pot. Add the melted cheese mixture to the macaroni and cauliflower and stir well. Add the reserved pasta water and the parsley and stir again to combine.

Pour the mac 'n cheese into a baking dish. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of grated Parmesan. I also like to sprinkle a little more cayenne on the top (cause I like it spicy!). Put it in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until it's golden and bubbling.

Serve with a kale or baby greens salad. Yum!

Buon appetito!

This recipe for mac 'n cheese is vegetarian and can be gluten-free, if made with gluten-free macaroni, like quinoa and brown rice macaroni.