If you aren’t a cauliflower fan, please do me a favor and keep reading! You may or may not know that cauliflower is known for soaking up the flavors of surrounding ingredients. Therefore, this dish does not really taste like cauliflower. Believe it or not, it tastes like macaroni and cheese.
At my house, macaroni and cheese is a staple. If we are throwing together dinner and our minds are blank on what side(s) to make… we pull out a box of mac and cheese. And I love a good box of Velveeta mac and cheese as much as the next person, but this cauliflower mac and cheese puts any and all boxed mac and cheese to shame. I promise. Yes, it’s a little more trouble than opening a box and dumping noodles into boiling water… but so worth it. And bonus! It’s much lower in carbs.
This dish can be cooked in the oven (of course), but we often cook it in a smoker if we are smoking meat for dinner anyway. Leave in smoker 20-30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- pinch of garlic powder (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces and boil until crisp and tender (5-10 minutes).
- Drain and place back into the pot while you make the sauce.
- In a saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer and whisk in cream cheese and 1.5 cups of shredded cheddar until melted. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.
- Place cauliflower in a dish, pour sauce over and combine.
- Top with remaining ½ cup of cheese and bake (or put in a smoker) until cheese is bubbly.
OPTIONAL: Top with bacon! Because when has bacon ever NOT made something taste better?
