Cheesy Cauliflower & Pasta Bake

Do something different with macaroni cheese by adding a small head of cauliflower.  No one can resist a casserole fresh from the oven with creamy, gooey cheese sauce bubbling away and a few serves of vegetable sneaked in for healthy eating.  Explore the varieties of short pasta you can use - orecchiette, fusilli, penne, farfalle - other than the ordinary 'elbows'.  Cook the pasta and the cauliflower florets in the same pan of boiling water (the pasta going in a few minutes before the cauliflower).  As a base for the cheese sauce, I use half milk and half of the pasta water that has been sweetened by the cauliflower.  A generous amount of grated tasty Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese stirred into the sauce makes the dish.  Panko breadcrumb on top gives it a golden, crispy crust.  Serve with a green salad.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 150g / 5¼oz short pasta
• 1 small cauliflower, about 350g / 12oz, cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup plain flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup pasta water
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup tasty Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
• ⅓ cup panko breadcrumb
• ¼ cup chopped chives
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Grease a 10-cup capacity ovenproof casserole dish.
2. Combine Cheddar cheese and Mozzarella cheese in a bowl.
3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the cauliflower and cook for a further 8-10 minutes or until pasta is al dente and cauliflower is just tender.  Drain and reserve a cup of the pasta water.  Return pasta and cauliflower to pan and set aside.
5. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk until the roux is thick and golden.  Add the milk and pasta water, whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens.  Stir in the nutmeg.  Season to taste.
6. Add all of the white sauce, half the chives and half the cheese mixture to the pasta and cauliflower in the pan.  Stir gently to combine.  Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
7. Combine the breadcrumb, remaining chives and remaining cheese mixture in the bowl,  then sprinkle over the pasta.
8. Bake in a preheated 200°C/400°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.