Cauliflower, Pasta, and Cheese Gratin

Cauliflower, Pasta, and Cheese Gratin

4.1 of 5 (40)
member ratings
Nutritional Info
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 275.6
  • Total Fat: 9.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 38.3 mg
  • Sodium: 757.8 mg
  • Total Carbs: 31.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
  • Protein: 18.8 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Cauliflower, Pasta, and Cheese Gratin calories by ingredient




Ingredients

    INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS:
    8 cups water
    6 cups cauliflower florets (about 1-1/2 pounds)
    3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
    8 ounces uncooked small seashell pasta
    1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    3 cups 1% low-fat milk
    2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
    3 garlic cloves, crushed
    1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
    1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
    3/4 cup finely chopped green onions
    2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
    2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add cauliflower and 1/2
teaspoon salt to boiling water, and cook 4 minutes or until tender.
Remove cauliflower with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid;
set cauliflower aside. Bring cooking liquid to a rolling boil. Add
pasta, and cook 7 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a
knife. Combine flour and milk in a saucepan, stirring well with a
whisk. Stir in thyme and garlic; cook over medium heat until thick
(about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4
teaspoon salt, cheeses, onions, mustard, and pepper. Combine
cauliflower, pasta, and cheese sauce in a large bowl. Spoon the
cauliflower mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Place bread in
food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure
1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs with butter; sprinkle evenly over
cauliflower mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until
lightly browned. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1-1/2 cups).

For more crowd-pleasing casseroles that satisfy morning, noon, or night, visit Cooking Light.

Recipe Copyright © Cooking Light Magazine


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Member Ratings For This Recipe


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    Incredible!
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Ok...I did something a little different with this recipe...I omitted the parmesan cheese, the bread, the butter, two cups of the milk and I added a can of campbells cheddar cheese soup and I sprinkled the top with some of the alotted cheddar cheese...it was very delicious! - 6/3/10


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    Great idea - 3/2/21


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    Good
    I used less wheat pasta & reduced fat cheese. It was good but nothing special. - 1/25/12


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    Incredible!
    I enjoy this as it is tasty and healthy - 1/17/12


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    Incredible!
    Oh my goodness!!!!! I LOVE cauliflower and this was GREAT!!! - 1/17/12


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    reminds me of pasta & peas . love this . easy and does taste great . gives me more vegetables in my daily foods . - 1/17/12


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    Incredible!
    So convenient to prepare in advance for a busy week night! And, the whole family LOVED this recipe! ☺ - 7/29/11


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    Incredible!
    Made this tonight for dinner. Yum, yum! Even my fiance, who is quite picky, enjoyed it. Plus, the serving size is BIG! - 4/23/11


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    Very Good
    very tasty - 3/8/11


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    Very Good
    This was yummy! I took advice of GRAPHICKAT & added no salt, peas. I also added an ounce of tuna in water to just my plate. Because I thought it would be like tuna casserole. AND it was! :) I think it would even be good with chicken breast cooked in it too, to up the protein & make it a main dish! - 5/16/10


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    Good
    I left out the bread, added broccoli and other greens and turned it into more of a veggie pasta casserole, so it wasn't exactly like this, but I was grateful for the idea! - 3/30/10


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    Very Good
    We ate this last night. It was good but I think I will try it with extra sharp full fat cheese next time the fat free did not have much flavor. Thanks I found it to be an easy supper - 2/24/10


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    This is a wonderful dish. Freezes well, too, for leftovers! - 1/28/10


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    Very Good
    I thought this was good, but it was a lot of effort and dirtied too many pans for a side dish. Maybe save it for a special occassion? - 1/18/10


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    Incredible!
    I thought this was perfect the way it is but my hubby thought a few peas should be added for color. - 10/10/08


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    Good
    I made a lot of subsitutions with healthier ingredients when I could...like whole-wheat couscous instead of the seashell pasta. It was different...good! - 9/14/08


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    Very Good
    I will be making this again. Made it without the thyme because I didn't have any so would like to see what it'll taste like with it. - 9/1/08


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    Good
    We are going to try it again, but add a little spice. Maybe some chilis or hot sauce. Very good though! - 8/12/08


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    Incredible!
    Terrific, I love this recipe.
    - 8/7/08


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    Sounds like a recipe that my whole family will like. We will try it this weekend when everyone is home. - 8/7/08


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    This sounds delicious and will try it soon! Thanks - 8/7/08


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    Sounds wonderful, not a fan of thyme but my family loves Johnny's parmesan garlic seasoning so I will try that instead. - 8/7/08


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    Very Good
    sounds really good, a t spoon of mustard will enhance the flavour of the sauce. - 8/7/08


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    Incredible!
    Sounds Excellent! Will make this week. - 8/7/08


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    sounds good - 8/7/08


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    This one sounds really good. I will definetely try it!!!! - 8/7/08


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    Will try again. - 8/7/08


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    I'm going to try this recipe - it looks wonderful - but I think I will roast the cauliflower instead of boiling it - it makes it taste sweet when it starts to brown up.......... - 8/7/08


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    Incredible!
    I loved baked veggies with a gratin sauce. I can't wait to try this recipe, although I think I will be adding more garlic, onions and tabasco sauce as well. Yum yum yum. - 8/7/08


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    Good
    try faux potato salad,it's even better... - 8/7/08


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    Incredible!
    Perfect- cauliflower is in season right now and I will also make this with broccoli. Added lots more garlic as well. - 8/7/08


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    I made this and forgot to add it to my cookbook, imagine my delight when it was todays featured recipe :~) Absolutely delicious! Fresh thyme is the way to go! I can't believe that there was a negative comment when that person never even made it? I'm making this again tonight! - 8/7/08


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    Incredible!
    This is really good. - 8/7/08


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    Incredible!
    Good! - 8/7/08


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    Sounds great! I will omit the salt...... - 8/7/08


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    Very Good
    Yummy! I liked this recipe. Very good for something different and filling. - 6/7/08


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    O.K.
    Not a hit in our family, I'm afraid. The thyme was overwhelming and the cheese sauce was too bland. I will try again without the thyme and add some tabasco. - 2/4/08


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    Incredible!
    I loved this and so did my husband, he told me it's a must to make it again. I served it with baked chicken breast it went along perfectly! It has just the right amount of cheese not too overpowering. I will make this again! - 10/11/07


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    Good
    I had mixed reactions from my family. Made it with whole-wheat pasta, and personally I found it quite tasty and very filling. I loved the addition of thyme, even though I didn't expect to. - 10/9/07


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    made this the other night, used basil instead of thyme which was perfect, didn't make enough pasta but it worked out anyway. used more garlic too and my 2 year old inhaled it! my veggie husband also loved it so we will make again!! - 8/18/07


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    Very Good
    I added an extra three cloves of garlic (I am a garlic addict!), and I found it to be very tasty. The abundance of cauliflower mixed with the pasta makes one serving filling, and enough. Very low calorie. I would definitely make this again. - 8/15/07


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    Very Good
    This is really tasty and filling with lots of left overs. Healthy too, YUM - 7/11/07


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    Very Good
    Very good and filling as well - 4/7/07


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    Good
    Overall good, but I wasn't a fan of the Thyme in it. - 3/23/07


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    very good loved it hubby said he needed to add more salt to it or extra sharp cheese said no that would bring the sodium count up and he didn't need to do that otherwise he must of liked it ate 2 plates of it . - 3/21/07


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    Good
    It was good! Even my 2 year old ate some and didn't complain (no small feat!). ;) - 3/7/07


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    Very Good
    A very enjoyable casserole, the cauliflower is very mild tasting. - 3/3/07