Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

This cauliflower mac and cheese is made with tender cauliflower florets and a creamy cheese sauce in just 15 minutes on the stove. It’s low carb, keto-friendly, and tastes just like real mac and cheese.

The cheese totally makes up for the lack of carbs.

Trying to cut carbs? One of the toughest parts can be feeding a family at the same time. You definitely don’t want to cook two meals, so I like to figure out recipes that fit those health goals and keep the kids happy.

Enter this keto cauliflower mac and cheese. There is no actual mac in the recipe – just cauliflower that’s been chopped into macaroni sized pieces, boiled until tender, and then coated in a super rich and creamy sauce. All in one pot. All done on the stove. Ready in about 20 minutes.

The cauliflower does a good job in terms of texture and it has a neutral flavor while mostly serving as a delivery vehicle for all that cheesy goodness. It’s more nutritious than macaroni and it does the job of keeping the whole family happy!

The low carb cheese sauce skips the traditional roux. Instead, you’ll just heat some heavy cream and stir in your grated cheese until everything is smooth and creamy. Same approach as you’d take for homemade alfredo sauce!

♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:

Quick & Easy: This dish comes together in about 20 with just one pot!

Cheesy: There may not be any actual macaroni in here but there’s definitely loads of cheesy goodness! No one will even notice it’s low carb.

Versatile: This is the kind of low carb side dish you can serve with just about any meal! We love this one for weeknight dinners, whether I’m cutting carbs or not.

Ingredients, Swaps & Tips:

• Cauliflower: This really is such a versatile veggie. Pretty neutral flavored after boiling and when you chop it up into macaroni-sized pieces and coat it in cheese, it gets the job done.
• Cheese: We’re using a mix of cheddar, Monterey Jack, and cream cheese but you can swap out the cheddar and Monterey jack for something like smoked gouda or gruyere for a different flavor.
• Hot Sauce: This doesn’t make the sauce spicy – just helps to balance out the flavors.
• Spice: I always add a bit of ground mustard powder to my cheese sauce for an extra boost of flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand, it’s fine to skip it. Ground nutmeg works well too.
• Bake It: We usually just go the stove top route, but you can aslo spread this in a 9×9 and bake for 10 minutes after topping with more shredded cheese.
• Crispy Topping: Mix ¼ cup almond flour with 1 tablespoon melted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon garlic salt. Sprinkle over the baked version and broil for 1-2 minutes until golden.

Step by Step:

Chop the cauliflower florets into small macaroni-sized pieces. This really helps set the tone for this dish!

Boil the cauliflower until tender and then drain the water and return the cauliflower to the pot.

Stir in the remaining ingredients until everything is melted together. Turn the heat on low, if needed, to melt the cheese.

Season to taste and dish it up!

Storage:

Fridge: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Reheat: Warm gently on the stove with a splash of cream to loosen the sauce.

Freeze: Although you can freeze this the cheese sauce may separate and the texture won’t be the same.