Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake

If cauliflower cheese is your go to roast dinner side, why not give it main character energy in this sumptuous pasta bake hybrid recipe?

10 minutes prep

45 minutes cook

Serves 4

Hugh Woodward
Cauli.png

Ingredients

  • 1 largecauliflower
  • 2 tbspolive oil
  • 1 tbspflaked sea salt
  • 75gunsalted butter
  • 75gplain flour
  • 400mlfull fat milk
  • 400mldouble cream
  • 200ggrated aged cheddar
  • a small grating ofnutmeg
  • to tastefreshly ground black pepper
  • 400gdried wagon wheel (rotelle) pasta
  • 40gpanko breadcrumbs
  • 40gparmesan, plus more to serve

It's letter W of Alphabetti, and Hugh is turning wagon wheel pasta into something very special. For us, nothing is more comforting than cauliflower cheese, and that's why it is getting upgraded to the star of the show. This one's a bit like mac n cheese, but better.

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Begin with the cauliflower - remove the tough central stem and cut the rest into roughly equal sized florettes. Think about the size of the pasta and adjust the sizes of the florettes accordingly.
  • Spread them on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil and salt. Bake for around 25 minutes or until roasted through.
  • Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan until foaming then add the flour. Cook for around 3 minutes, or until the flour has taken on some colour and smells toasted.
  • Incrementally add the milk, vigorously whisking between each addition. Stir in the double cream.
  • When you have a smooth, thick sauce, turn off the heat. Add the cheddar and saeasoning and stir to combine until you have a smooth, rich sauce.
  • Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente, then stir that into the sauce with the roasted cauliflower.
  • Spoon the whole lot into an oven proof baking dish and scatter with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Bake for a further 20 minutes until golden and bubbling, then serve with chopped chives and more parmesan.

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    Hugh Woodward

    Hugh Woodward

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    Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.

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