Roasted Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

The Vegetarian Times

     This winter I had seen several posts for a Cauliflower Mac & Cheese and all of them looked amazing. Some started off with roasted cauliflower and then went on to add all sorts of goodies, like broccoli, peas, bacon, tomatoes, and chicken. All of them looking delicious. Finally last Sunday I got to  give my hand at making my very first Cauliflower Mac & Cheese!

 After looking over many recipes I had finally settled on the one from the Vegetarian Times to use as my base. However, instead of boiling or steaming the cauliflower I had decided to roast it in the oven at 375*f for 15 minutes with just a little bit of olive oil on it. I also added some shallots, garlic and prosciutto that was left over in my freezer to the sauce.  It was pretty delicious and definitely something that I cannot wait to try again.

Recipe: Adapted from the Vegetarian Times

1 Head of Cauliflower, broken into 1 inch florets

2 Shallots sliced

2 cloves of Garlic, chopped

4 strips of prosciutto, sliced into small bits

1 cup of grated cheese like cheddar or monterey jack ( I used Narragansett Creamery's Atwell's Gold!)

2 egg yolks

2 tbs of butter 

2 tbs of flour 

2 cups of low fat or whole milk 

1 pinch of red pepper flakes 

Salt & Pepper

2 tbs of olive oil

1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs

• Pre heat the oven to 375*f. In a large baking dish add the Cauliflower florets. Toss them in Olive Oil and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the tops. Remove from oven and set aside
• In a medium sauce pan over  low to medium heat add the butter, garlic, shallots and prosciutto. Cook together for two minutes. Add the flour and stir until it is fully combined and a paste is made. 
• Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in the milk until the mixture is smooth. 
• Return the pan back to the stove top, stir until the sauce thickens.
• Add the grated cheese and red pepper flakes to pan, continuing to stir. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy ( about 7 to 8 minutes.) 
• Add the egg yolks into the sauce and combine.
• Pour the sauce over the cauliflower florets and top it all of with a coating of bread crumbs. Bake in the oven at 375*f for 30 minutes.