Gluten-Free Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe
Macaroni and cheese is a comfort food favorite for good reason, no matter if you’re going for the original or a variation like cauliflower mac and cheese. It’s hot, it’s cheesy and it’s delicious. But if you’ve ever looked at the ingredients on that famous blue box, you’ll know it’s full of a lot more than pasta and cheese.
While homemade versions are tasty, too, they’re not necessarily healthier. Packed with calories, refined carbs and heaps of cheese, they offer little-to-no nutritional benefits.
Does that mean you have to give up your favorite food? No way!
Instead, let’s give mac and cheese a makeover with this keto mac and cheese recipe.
Key Ingredients
Using cauliflower, two types of cheeses packed with goat’s milk benefits and protein-rich kefir, you’ll get a deliciously healthy version of a longtime favorite.
Here is some more information on the main ingredients used to make this keto cauliflower mac and cheese recipe:
- Cauliflower: This cruciferous vegetable is loaded with nutrients. High in vitamin C, K and B6, cauliflower nutrition can help fight inflammation and chronic disease, not to mention benefit bones, eye and brain health.
- Goat milk kefir: Goat milk is easier to digest than cow milk and can actually enhance nutrient absorption. It’s high in calcium, phosphorus and potassium, among other nutrients. When used as the base for kefir, it also provides beneficial probiotics to support gut health and more.
- Cottage cheese: This cauliflower mac and cheese recipe calls for cottage cheese made from goat milk as well. The added protein it provides makes it an excellent keto-friendly recipe.
- Ghee: In place of regular butter, ghee ups the ratio of healthy fats and has a higher smoke make, making it perfect for this cauliflower mac and cheese recipe.
Good for the Keto Diet
You may be wondering how a mac and cheese recipe can be good for the keto diet. Simple — replace the high-carb noodles with cauliflower!
With that simple swap, this take on a classic turns regular mac and cheese into a ketogenic version that’s high in healthy fats and much lower in carbs than traditional versions.
In fact, with the high fiber content offsetting the 11.7 grams of carbohydrates, this keto mac and cheese recipe has only 7.4 grams of net carbs. So even if you’re following the keto diet, you can enjoy this mac and cheese variation.
How to Make Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Begin by greasing your pan with ghee, an excellent lactose-free butter alternative. Then, add your chopped cauliflower into a pot of boiling salt water, and cook for about 5 minutes or until it’s tender but not overcooked.
Drain the cauliflower, and pat it down with a cloth or paper towels. Spread it in your pan, and let it hang out while you assemble the sauce.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, throw in the following tasty ingredients: kefir, cottage cheese and mustard. Mix these until the sauce is smooth.
Then, add in the cheddar cheese and enjoy the cheesy magic happening before your eyes. Season with sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder, and stir until the cheddar just begins melting.
You want it to mix smoothly with the other ingredients, not melt completely.
When you’ve reached the melting point, pour the whole cheesy mix over the cauliflower and stir up all that goodness so there’s cheese in every cauliflower floret bite. Got them all covered? Add a little extra cheddar on top for good measure, then slide the whole pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbly and light brown.
Then sit back, spoon yourself a heaping serving and enjoy! This is a great cauliflower mac and cheese recipe to use as a base.
Alter the seasonings to your family’s taste — maybe a little cayenne pepper or some rosemary — or add in extra ingredients. I think turkey bacon or finely chopped, sautéed onions would be delicious as well.
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Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Get all the creamy, cheesy goodness of mac and cheese without the high starch content with this keto cauliflower mac and cheese recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower head, cut into small florets
- ½–¾ cup goat kefir
- ½ cup goat’s milk cottage cheese, pureed
- 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ cups grated sheep’s or goat’s milk cheddar cheese, plus additional for topping
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ghee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 8” x 8” pan with ghee.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Spread in prepared pan.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, mix together kefir, cottage cheese, and mustard until smooth.
- In a saucepan over medium high heat, mix together the cottage cheese, kefir and mustard until smooth
- Stir in cheese, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder until cheese just starts to melt. Pour over cauliflower and stir. Top with additional cheese if desired and bake for 10–15 minutes.
Notes
- Instead of noodles, this recipe is keto-friendly thanks to the cauliflower base.
- Add any extra healthy ingredients to this dish, such as turkey bacon or onions.
- If you don’t care for goat cheese, you can use sheep or cow milk cheese.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 244
- Sugar: 6.4g
- Sodium: 756mg
- Fat: 15.8g
- Saturated Fat: 10.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11.7g
- Fiber: 4.3g
- Protein: 15.9g
- Cholesterol: 47mg
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