Donal's cauliflower mac and cheese

A one-pot take on an American childhood classic that delivers on cheesy, creamy indulgence. I’ve added cauliflower, not as a vague attempt at making this feel somewhat healthy, but simply because it works! Think of this as a cauliflower cheese meets mac & cheese in a glorious one-pot hybrid!

Credit: Donal's Meals in Minutes

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.4 L full-fat milk
• 350 g macaroni
• 1 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 150 g mature Cheddar, grated
• 125 g grated mozzarella
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Put the milk and macaroni into a shallow casserole and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the cauliflower and cook for a further 5 minutes until both cauliflower and pasta are tender and the sauce is thickened and reduced and coating the pasta.
3. Add the butter, cheeses and mustard and cook, stirring, over a low heat until the cheese has melted. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high.
4. Put the casserole under the hot grill to brown all over then serve straight away.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.