Cauliflower Mac And Cheese, Creamy + Cheesy!

This cauliflower mac and cheese is creamy, melty, cheesy, with crunchy bits on top, and salty pancetta mixed in. You’ll totally forget you’re eating vegetables. It’s insane!

Looking for more epic cauli subs? Check out my keto cauliflower pizza, cauliflower fried rice, mashed cauliflower, and cauliflower stuffing.

Cauliflower? A comfort food!? Stay with me…

Cauliflower mac and cheese is here to redeem every piece of cauliflower that’s ever been left alone on a veggie tray. The humble cauliflower is a great pasta substitute, and is loaded with vitamins and fiber — but personally, I’ve never craved cauliflower. Until now.

This is greater than your average smother-it-with-cheese situation for two reasons:

1. The cauliflower adds a savory flavor that complements the cheese, without getting lost in it.
2. The cheese sauce is luxuriously velvety, creamy, and cheesy.

This is a fall twist on a comfort classic that just happens to be one of our family’s favorite keto side dishes. Get ready to crave cauliflower. Satisfying and versatile, I love this on its own (or with a salad) for dinner.

Forget the veggie tray or been-there-mash, this is how I’ll be bringing cauliflower to the table this season. Enjoy! 🤍🤤 – Linds x

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Tutorial Video

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Is This Low Carb?

This cauliflower mac and cheese is the PERFECT pasta substitute for traditional mac and cheese, with a fraction of the carbs and an added dose of veggies.

My #1 reason for loving this recipe? There are 43 g carbs in mac and cheese per serving. In this recipe? There are 6g. Even if you aren’t a low carb eater, you know that’s pretty cool…

Tips + Tricks

This isn’t your average cauliflower and cheese recipe. I’ve added a few surprises to keep you coming back for seconds. Here’s everything you need to know for how to make mac and cheese, the cauliflower way:

• Prebake the cauliflower, this will get it soft enough to work well as a pasta dupe, and will mellow out its flavor so our baked cauliflower with cheese doesn’t taste too much like, well, vegetables.
• Turn this into one pot mac and cheese by cooking the pancetta in an oven safe pan, removing the grease, then making your cheese sauce in the same pan. Toss your baked cauliflower in the cheesesauce, then bake it in the oven. One pan wonder!
• Add a crunch to the top. As you know, most mac and cheese recipes are topped with breadcrumbs. In an effort to keep this recipe gluten free and low carb, I use crushed pork rinds, which add a delicious crunch (and a bit of bacon-y flavor). If pork rinds aren’t your thing, be sure to add crunch with breadcrumbs/gf breadcrumbs.

How to Make Cauliflower Mac and Cheese:

1. Toss cauliflower in olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and ground black  pepper, and spread onto a baking sheet.
2. Cook pancetta in an oven-safe pan over medium heat.
3. Melt the butter and heavy cream together in the pan.
4. Stir in cheddar a little at a time as it melts.
5. Remove from heat and stir in pancetta.
6. Add cooked cauliflower to the pan and stir to coat.
7. Sprinkle the top of the dish with parmesan and crushed pork rinds/breadcrumbs.
8. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the top begins to brown. BOOM! You’re going to love it!

Can You Freeze This?

As with most cheese or cream sauces, this cauliflower mac and cheese is best fresh, but you can freeze it if you must. I like to portion it into resealable baggies. Reheat leftovers in the oven or toaster oven to recrisp the top.

Serving Recommendations

What goes well with mac and cheese?? All.The.Things. But the beauty of this dish is you really don’t have to serve it with anything, as it’s great on its own. I like to dish it up alongside meat dishes. It’s also one of our family’s Thanksgiving staples.

Recipe Variations

As long as you get the basics for this cheesy cauliflower recipe down, you can switch and swap ingredients as you see fit. Here are some ideas that come to mind:

1. Add more protein. Swap pancetta for bacon, cubed ham, heck even shredded chicken would be a delicious addition to this cauliflower mac and cheese. Be sure to cook any meat before adding it.
2. Or, skip the meat. 
3. Add more vegetables. Broccoli is a natural complement, but everything tastes delicious in this cheese sauce. Try adding sauteed kale, red onions, or mushrooms.
4. Try a different type of “pasta” – again, broccoli is the obviously sub. Or, give my almond flour pasta or keto gnocchi a try!

More Cauliflower Recipes

• Keto Shepherd’s Pie
• Cauliflower Potato Salad
• Cauliflower Hummus
• Cauliflower Rice Casserole
• Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

Cauliflower Mac And Cheese

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Servings :6 Servings

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time55 mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Head Cauliflower cut into 1" florets
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ▢ 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ▢ 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• ▢ 4 Ounces Pancetta optional
• ▢ 1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
• ▢ 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• ▢ 1/4 Cup Pork Rinds crushed. Optional. Can sub for breadcrumbs.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Prep. Preheat oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roast cauliflower. Toss cauliflower (1 head cut into 1" florets) in olive oil (1 tablespoon), Italian seasoning ( 1 teaspoon ), salt (1/4 teaspoon) and ground black pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and spread onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the florets begin to brown.
• Make the sauce. If you’re using the pancetta (4 ounces ), cook in an oven-safe pan over medium heat. Once cooked, drain on a paper towel-lined plate and remove as much grease from the pan as possible. Melt the butter (1 tablespoon) and heavy cream (1/2 cup ) together in the pan. Stir in cheddar (1 cup) a little at a time as it melts. Cook on low until everything has melted together.
• Assemble + bake. Remove from heat and stir in pancetta. Add cooked cauliflower to the pan and stir to coat. Sprinkle the top of the dish with parmesan (1/4 cup) and crushed pork rinds/breadcrumbs (1/4 cup). Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the top begins to brown. BOOM! You're going to love it!

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Lindsey's Tips

• Nutritional information is based on 1 serving if you divide this recipe into 6 servings, and was calculated with pork rinds and pancetta: 

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 6gProtein: 12gFat: 27gSodium: 771mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 4g

©Little Pine Low Carb. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media/website/blog is strictly prohibited.

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