- 30 mins
- 60 mins
Ingredients
- 4 cups 1 1/2" cauliflower florets (about 1 lb; from 1/2 head)
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 12 oz dried penne
- 2 cups 1% milk
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 cups grated sharp white Cheddar
- 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp butter, melted
Preparation
Step 1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375F.
Put the cauliflower, onion and garlic in a microwave dish with 1 tbsp water. Cook in microwave for 4 minutes until soft. Transfer the mixture to a food processor.
Fill a 6 to 8 quart pot until 3/4 full and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 12 minutes. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
While the pasta cooks, add 1 up of the milk, the dry mustard, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to the vegetables in the blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a 3 quart saucepan and stir in the remaining 1 cup of milk, thyme, Italian herb seasoning and parsley.
Transfer to a 3 quart saucepan and stir in the remaining 1 cup of milk. Heat over medium-low heat until hot but not boiling, about 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the Cheddar and Parmigiano. Add 1/2 the cheese mixture to the sauce and stir until the cheeese is melted. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir to combine. Transfer the pasta and sauce to an 8" square buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Mix the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the cheese topping. Bake until heated through and the cheese topping and breadcrumbs are beginning to brown, 20 to 30 minutes.