Hiding vegetables is a great way to get kids to eat something healthy, without them knowing or having to fight them about it! This baked cauliflower pasta is the perfect way to sneak some veggies in without them knowing…
As long as you do it right. If you don’t do it right, then it won’t stay a secret and your kids will know they’re eating veggies. Which depending on your kids could be a good thing or a bad thing!
For my kids it totally depends on the day. Some days they are totally into veggies, cheese and pasta. Other days they aren’t. They are seriously fickle.
I actually really love homemade macaroni and cheese and this dish is pretty much exactly like creamy homemade macaroni and cheese, but a bit healthier. Since it has a whole head of cauliflower in it!
I don’t really love eating cauliflower plain–actually, you will never catch me eating it plain. But you can hardly tell that it’s in this dish and it has so many health benefits that it is a really great way to incorporate it into your diet.
I feel really good about myself when eating this delicious dish because its yummy and its good for me too!
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 cups of cauliflower
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups milk
- ¼ cup flower
- 2 cups cheese
- 16 oz pasta (I used penne)
- 2 cups diced ham
- 2 cups cooked broccoli
- Saute cauliflower, onion and garlic in butter, cook until softened and then combine with flour, mustard, salt and 1 cup milk. Once completely cooked through, remove from heat and add remaining milk. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer your sauce back to the pan to heat and thicken your sauce.
- Cook pasta until almost cooked, drain and add to your sauce. Add cheese, ham and broccoli.
- Transfer all to a baking dish and sprinkle with a little extra cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.
Delicious!!
Here are some more really yummy dinner ideas for the family!
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Lemon Chicken and Zucchini Pasta
