| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish
- Kosher salt
- 4 cups 1-inch cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head)
- 1/2 pound shell pasta (not jumbo)
- 1 leek, light green and white parts halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups half-and-half
- 1 bay leaf
- Two 8-ounce bags Sargento Fine Cut Shredded Sharp Cheddar (4 cups)
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook 3 1/2 cups of the cauliflower until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove the florets with a slotted spoon, and plunge in the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, strain and reserve.
- Return the water in the pot to a boil, and cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Strain the pasta, shaking the colander a few times to drain excess water.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a large pot. When the butter foams, add the leeks, mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are lightly browned and the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Whisk in the half-and-half and bay leaf, and cook, continuing to whisk, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Lower the heat to a simmer, add 2 teaspoons salt and simmer 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, take out the bay leaf and let sit for a minute. Add 3 1/2 cups of the Cheddar, and stir until smooth. Gently fold the cooked cauliflower and pasta into the cheese sauce, and transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
- Pulse the remaining 1/2 cup cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles couscous. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the microwave, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter, breadcrumbs, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the food processor and pulse until combined. Sprinkle evenly on top of the pasta mixture. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 648 |
| Total Fat | 42 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 119 mg |
| Sodium | 828 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 648 |
| Total Fat | 42 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 119 mg |
| Sodium | 828 mg |
Reviews
Not worth the heart attack! Has 4x the butter, 2x the cheese and 5x the salt of similar recipes. Even without all the salt it tasted like my kids playdough. Managed to bring it back from inedible with an unhealthy amount of cream. My arteries give this recipe 1 star.
Very nice! Enjoyed the mushroom flavour in this dish. Used 2% milk instead of half half and that worked fine. Would remove the thyme next time.