Oven Baked Shells with Cauliflower and Cheddar, topped with Rosemary Breadcrumbs. A spin on a Jamie Oliver recipe hits all the right notes for January – comfort food with a touch of healthier ingredients.
There’s something overly indulgent about making a simple homemade Mac and cheese (in January, the month of healthier eating?). Somehow it’s all good if a little veg sneaks in to round out the base? I feel strongly that this is delicious, and worth the effort – it’s health food after all! I’m making this on Monday and Sunday and anything in between. It just fits.
This is a tweaked recipe from Jamie Oliver, a Brilliant British chef who makes real food easy and delicious. A link to his version is here : https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/cauliflower-recipes/cauliflower-mac-n-cheese/. Mine has a little heat from red pepper flakes, and no fennel. The thing I love about his approach is using everything you have (the green cauliflower stems included) and wasting little effort in the process (cook the pancetta in the same pan you bake the finished dish in). He’s truly inspiring.
Cauliflower Mac with Rosemary Breadcrumbs
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3 oz sliced pancetta rounds
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 lb. dried pasta - I like shells
- 10-12 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 day old baguette, torn into small pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 sprig rosemary, chopped (about 1 Tbsp)
- olive oil
- 8 oz creme fraiche
- parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- In a large baking dish, lay the pancetta slices out evenly and bake on the top shelf for about 10 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool a bit.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim the outer tough leaves on the cauliflower, and slice the head into four quarters. Remove the tough rind at the base, but keep the quarters in tact with some of the greens attached. When the water is boiling, salt it generously, and add the pasta and cauliflower together to cook according to package directions.
- Fit the food processor with the grating blade, and grate the cheddar cheese, then set aside. Swap the blades for chopping, and remove the pancetta from the baking dish, leaving any fat behind as a base for the pasta dish. Grind the cooked pancetta with the chopped rosemary and the bread cubes adding about 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil to bring it all together. Set aside to top the pasta before baking.
- When the pasta is done, remove 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the cooking water to use in the sauce. Drain the cauliflower and pasta, and dump it into the baking dish used for the pancetta. Mash the cauliflower into bite size pieces in the pan. Carefully add the cheddar, the garlic, red pepper flakes, the creme fraiche, and about 1 1/4 cups of the pasta water, checking to see if you need more. Taste for seasoning (I find it usually just needs a few grinds of black pepper, as the salted water does the trick). Top with the breadcrumbs, and return to the oven and bake for about 12 minutes until the mixture is boiling and the crumbs are golden brown.
- Serve with grated parmesan on the side.
Notes
