Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese
This recipe is a great way to pack in some extra veg as the cauliflower is barely recognisable when blended into the cheese sauce!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories396
- Carbs53g
- Protein25g
- Fat8.2g
- Saturates3.6g
- Sugars6g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
This Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese is a combination of two classic dishes and it’s the perfect way to get some extra veg into your diet, as the cauliflower is barely recognisable when it’s blended into the cheese sauce!
Adding cauliflower to the sauce may not be the usual choice, but we promise that this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese is so tasty that you’ll never go back! The cauliflower helps to make the sauce taste so creamy, that you’d never believe it was slimming friendly if you didn’t know.
As this dish can be frozen, it’s also perfect for batch cooking and is delicious when served with garlic bread and a fresh side salad!
We made this recipe for fitness legend and bestselling cookbook author Joe Wicks (also known as “The Body Coach”), who was the first guest to drop by PoN HQ and chat to us on our podcast The Magic Ingredient. It’s fair to say, it went down a STORM!
You can listen to The Magic Ingredient here:
What diets is this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese suitable for?
This Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese can be made suitable for gluten free diets as long as you replace the following ingredients with gluten free alternatives;
- Macaroni pasta
- Vegetable stock cube
Please make sure to double, and triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
How Weight Watchers friendly is this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe?
- You need to count 9 Points per portion of this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe if you’re on WW Green.
- You need to count 9 Points per portion of this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe if you’re on WW Blue.
- You need to count 9 Points per portion of this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe if you’re on WW Purple.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese?
Nope! You should be able to find all of the ingredients that you need for this recipe in your local supermarket!
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We’ve used a blender like this one to get the sauce super smooth!
You’ll also need an ovenproof dish like this one so that you can get the cheese all crispy and golden – that’s the best bit, after all!
How many calories are in this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese?
There are 396 calories per portion in this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
This Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Put on a pan of water to boil
Step 2
Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and fry the bacon for a few minutes until crisp. Place on a plate and set to one side
Step 3
Put 1/4 of the cauliflower aside and blitz the remaining 3/4 of the cauliflower until it looks like cauliflower rice. Place the blitzed cauliflower to one side
Step 4
Wipe out your frying pan, spray with low calorie cooking spray and then sauté the onion and garlic on a medium heat
Step 5
Once the onion begins to brown, mix in the blitzed cauliflower
Step 6
Make up the stock and, alongside the mustard powder, add to the frying pan. Turn the heat down so that the pan is gently simmering and simmer for around 15 minutes
Step 7
Add the pasta to the pan of water and cook as per the instructions on the packet. 5 minutes before the end of the cook time, add the remaining pieces of cauliflower that you set aside earlier (not the blitzed cauliflower!)
Step 8
Once the pasta & cauliflower is cooked, drain well, reserving a few tablespoons of the water in a cup. Return to the pan and set aside
Step 9
Mix together the cheddar and parmesan
Step 10
Stir the cream cheese into the cauliflower mix, alongside half of the cheddar and parmesan. Tip the whole mix into a blender and then blitz until smooth (it should be the consistency of cheese sauce). This might take a couple of minutes. If your sauce is too thick, then just add a little of the pasta water that you reserved earlier to thin it out a little
Step 11
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir in the tablespoon of buffalo sauce and the cooked bacon
Step 12
Pour into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the remaining parmesan and cheddar mix evenly over the top
Step 13
Place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted and is golden brown
What could I serve with this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese?
This Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese is delicious when served with any of the following dishes:
How do you know when this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese is cooked?
You’ll need to cook the sauce for this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese for around 15 minutes before blitzing until smooth.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can you freeze this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat this Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 2-4 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until piping hot.
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Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese
This recipe is a great way to pack in some extra veg as the cauliflower is barely recognisable when blended into the cheese sauce!
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
20 MINS
- KCals 396
- Carbs 53G
Instructions
- Bring a pan of water to boil.
- Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and fry the bacon for a few minutes until crisp. Place on a plate and set to one side.
- Put 1/4 of the cauliflower aside and blitz the remaining 3/4 of the cauliflower until it looks like cauliflower rice. Place the blitzed cauliflower to one side.
- Wipe out your frying pan, spray with low calorie cooking spray and then sauté the onion and garlic on a medium heat.
- Once the onion begins to brown, mix in the blitzed cauliflower.
- Make up the stock and, alongside the mustard powder, add to the frying pan. Turn the heat down so that the pan is gently simmering and simmer for around 15 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the pan of water and cook as per the instructions on the packet. 5 minutes before the end of the cook time, add the remaining pieces of cauliflower that you set aside earlier (not the blitzed cauliflower!).
- Once the pasta and cauliflower are cooked, drain well, reserving a few tablespoons of the water in a cup. Return to the pan and set aside.
- Mix together the cheddar and parmesan.
- Stir the cream cheese into the cauliflower mix, alongside half of the cheddar and parmesan. Tip the whole mix into a blender and then blitz until smooth (it should be the consistency of cheese sauce). This might take a couple of minutes. If your sauce is too thick, then just add a little of the pasta water that you reserved earlier to thin it out a little.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir in the tablespoon of buffalo sauce and the cooked bacon.
- Pour into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the remaining parmesan and cheddar mix evenly over the top.
- Place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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18 comments
See what others have to say
LisaWednesday 26th January 2022
Hi, I am wanting to batch cook this and freeze it.Could someone tell me please If I were to freeze this, at what point do I freeze, before the final grilling part? And if I were to freeze it in an aluminium tray with a lid, could it be reheated it in the oven, rather than the microwave?
HollyWednesday 26th January 2022
Hey Lisa, You can freeze this recipe at the end of cooking or before you add the cheese in step 12 and grill once you’ve reheated it. You can reheat in the oven just ensure it is defrosted throughly and reheat until piping hot. Hope that helps!
Maddy BoweSunday 21st March 2021
Made this for us and our toddler (left out the hot sauce). Added some peas and sweet corn for extra veg!
I did everything but the grill the night before and kept in the fridge, and then put in the over for 20mins, then the grill for 10. A great way to sneak some veg in for kids. We did add seasoning and some sauce for our portions and was great
HollyMonday 22nd March 2021
Hey Maddy, thanks so much for your message and your tips for the Cauli’ Mac ‘N’ Cheese!
LucySaturday 6th February 2021
I just made this for tea and the sauce was lovely however it was still quite grainy not a cheese sauce texture. I blended in a food processor for at least 5 minutes and tried adding some of the pasta water too. I simmered for about 15 minutes as suggested. Do you have any suggestions as to what might have gone wrong?
LisaSaturday 6th February 2021
Hi Lucy
You can cook the cauliflower for a bit longer or cut it smaller so it cooks quicker and is softer when blitzed. It will still have a slightly different texture to a traditional roux based cheese sauce, but should be a little smoother. Hope this helps.
Mandy MillerSaturday 26th September 2020
Can you use soft cheese instead of cream cheese?
HollyTuesday 29th September 2020
Hi Mandy, the cream cheese could be substituted for primula or another soft spreadable cheese but you will need to alter the calories accordingly. Hope that helps!
KATIE AKRIGGMonday 14th September 2020
Can you use cheese triangles or primula instead or cream cheese?? Thanks
HollyTuesday 15th September 2020
Hey Katie, Yes the cream cheese could be substituted for primula or another spreadable cheese but you will need to alter the calories accordingly. If your sauce is too thick, just add a little of the pasta water that you reserved earlier on in the recipe. Hope that helps!
VickiTuesday 1st September 2020
Yummy and tastes just as good if you freeze and eat later!!
HollyTuesday 1st September 2020
Hi Vicki, so glad you enjoyed the Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese!
SimoneFriday 10th July 2020
so some of the cauliflower should stay whole in the dish then?
LisaSunday 12th July 2020
Hi Simone. We leave about a quarter of the cauliflower in small florets and cook it with the pasta because we like the added texture. If you have fussy eaters, or would rather not have cauliflower pieces, you can blitz the whole cauliflower at step 4. Hope this helps.
Sarah CoppinSaturday 4th July 2020
What is buffalo sauce please?
HollyMonday 6th July 2020
Hi Sarah, buffalo sauce is a hot sauce made with cayenne pepper. Hope that helps!
Joanne Ellerd-ElliottMonday 14th September 2020
Im allergic to peppers what could I use instead of Buffalo sauce please?
LisaTuesday 15th September 2020
Hi Joanne
I can’t think of anything that will give a similar taste that isn’t pepper related, so I’d just leave it out. It’ll still be tasty!
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