This Low Carb Cauliflower Mac and Cheese offers a lighter spin on classic mac and cheese – it’s low on calories and keto-friendly!
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado, canola or grapeseed oil.
- Cauliflower – cauliflower rice would also work for this recipe.
- Yellow onion – white onion would be the best substitute here.
- Butter – try using margarine instead.
- Milk – use any variety of milk of your choice like almond milk, coconut milk or half-and-half.
- Light cream cheese – you can leave this out and double up on the cheddar cheese.
- Cheddar cheese – mozzarella, gouda, Swiss and parmesan would also be good.
- Chopped chives – feel free to leave these out altogether.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
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How to make cauliflower mac and cheese
Step 1: Roast the cauliflower and onions.
Preheat oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cauliflower and onions and toss with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Step 2: Prepare cheese sauce.
While cauliflower is cooking, make the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan, then add milk, cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
Step 3: Simmer cheese sauce.
Whisking the sauce ingredients together and simmer over low heat for 4-5 minutes until smooth.
Step 4: Toss the cauliflower in the cheese sauce then serve in enjoy!
Remove cauliflower from oven and toss in cheese sauce. Garnish with extra shredded cheddar cheese (optional) and chives then serve and enjoy!
The best cheese for mac and cheese
You can technically use any cheese you have on hand to make this cauliflower mac and cheese! It really doesn't matter too much which cheese you use. I went with a mixture of cream cheese and cheddar cheese, mostly because cheddar is my favourite and the cream cheese adds a nice creamy consistency.
If you don't have any cream cheese on hand, you can just leave it out altogether and add the difference in cheddar. Mozzarella, gouda, Swiss, parmesan and just about any cheese you can imagine all make nice additions, but I would recommend using a cheese with a stronger flavour profile such as cheddar in order to get that true cheesy taste.
You can always pair a stronger cheese with a lighter cheese such as Swiss or mozzarella – it's a great alternative to the cream cheese since both are known for their gooey texture, which will add that creaminess you're looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
This cauliflower macaroni and cheese is a lot healthier and has fewer calories than your traditional mac and cheese since it uses roasted cauliflower instead of noodles. If you want to make it even healthier, you can swap out the cheddar for a part-skim mozzarella and use a non-dairy milk like almond milk.
This keto cauliflower mac and cheese is low carb and has just 18 grams of carbs per serving.
Yes! This cauliflower mac and cheese is keto-friendly and low carb.
You can eat this cauliflower macaroni and cheese alone or serve it as a yummy side dish. It tastes really good with stuffed chicken breasts, turkey meatballs, hamburgers or even meatloaf.
Storing and reheating
This cauliflower mac and cheese makes perfect leftovers! Store it in glass containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, sprinkle a little bit of water over top and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through, or reheat it in a pan on the stovetop with a bit of butter.
Can you freeze cauliflower mac and cheese?
You can definitely freeze this keto cauliflower mac and cheese! Freeze any leftovers in glass meal prep containers or foil containers for up to 3 months. If you’re using foil containers, you can reheat straight from frozen in the oven for 30 minutes at 375° Fahrenheit. If you’re freezing in glass containers, microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to pack up individual servings of this cauliflower mac and cheese.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Low Carb Cauliflower Mac and Cheese {Super Creamy}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup light cream cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cauliflower and onions and toss with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- While cauliflower is cooking, make the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan, then add milk, cream cheese and cheddar cheese, whisking to combine and simmering over low heat for 4-5 minutes until smooth.
- Remove cauliflower from oven and toss in cheese sauce. Garnish with extra shredded cheddar cheese (optional) and chives then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The post Low Carb Cauliflower Mac and Cheese {Super Creamy} appeared first on The Girl on Bloor.