Pasta & cauliflower cheese bake

[judydawn]

Name of Recipe:Pasta & Cauliflower cheese bake
Number of People: Serves 3 as a main or 6 as a side dish
Ingredients:
150g fuselli pasta or similar
1200mls boiling water
250g cauliflower cut into small florets

Small handful of parsley
50g cubed parmesan cheese
1/2 red onion
20g butter
25g plain flour
300mls milk
90g small cubes of tasty cheese
S & P to taste
1 tspn dijon mustard


Preparation:
Place the cauliflower pieces into the varoma dish.
Pour the boiling water into the TM bowl, add the pasta, place the varoma dish in place and cook 10 mins/varoma temp/reverse/speed 1.
Strain the pasta and place it and the cauliflower into a l.5 litre casserole dish.

Chop the parsley by dropping it through the lid onto blades set at speed 7.  Mix this in with the pasta and cauliflower.
No need to clean the bowl. Grate the parmesan 10 seconds/speed 9. Set aside for the topping.
Chop the onion 3 seconds/speed 5.
Add the butter and saute 3 mins/100^o/speed 1.
Add the flour and cook 1 minute/100^o/speed 1.
Turn the machine onto speed 3 and add the milk through the lid.
Program to cook for 6 mins/90^o/speed 3
adding the cubes of tasty cheese through the lid at the 4 minute mark.
Add seasonings to taste plus the mustard and stir to combine.
Pour over the ingredients in the casserole dish, sprinkle the parmesan on the top and bake 30 minutes/180^oC or until heated through and brown on top.
Photos:

Tips/Hints:

Saw a similar recipe on Taste.com but altered it to suit what I had.
Photo is of leftovers hence the top not so brown looking.

[Cornish Cream]

Wonderful recipe for people who are on a budget jd.

[Thermomixer]

Good work JD - thought that I had commented on this?  A good variation of cauliflower cheese 

[hopefulcook]

Thanks for the inspiration... Did this with pasta, cauli, broccoli and pumpkin. I just made the normal cheese sauce and Sprinkled with paprika. Everyone loved it!!!

[judydawn]

Sounds nice hopefulcook. So many variations with something like this easy dish.

[Denzelmum]

Made this for dinner tonight.  Big thumb up from the kids, both want second.  Thanks Judy.

[judydawn]

My pleasure Denzelmum.

[sodapop1971]

This is absolutely the best pasta bake I have ever had!  Have made it 3 times already.  Twice with cauliflower, one with broccoli.   Thanks JD. 
I'm thinking of doubling the recipe for tonight.  Any tips or warnings?

[judydawn]

Glad you liked it sodapop1971.  You can double the pasta & the cauliflower - the amount of water will be the same.
For the sauce, grate the cheese 12 sec/speed 9, chop the onion 4 sec/speed 5, still cook out the flour for 1 minute and once the milk is added, cook around 8 minutes and that should do it.

[sodapop1971]

You are so helpful!  Thanks again.
Sharon

[dede]

How did I miss this one? Yum thanks JD

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I missed this one too Dede.  It is printed ready to go now.

[djinni373]

I had somehow missed this one. Made it last night with a combination of cauliflower and broccoli, served with mini tuna loaves and garden salad. Fabulous. Only complaint I heard was that there wasn't enough for seconds so I'm going to double it next time (without guesswork) as doubling instructions are already here. Thanks Sodapop1971 and Judydawn

[Halex]

JD just found this little gem. I have a whole cauliflower screaming pick me pick me, so guess what I am going to pick him and cook him up. We will have this Wednesday night, Wednesday's is pasta night, well it was last week. LOL

I will add some bacon to it, anything with bacon in makes the dish a success in DS eyes.

Not a menu plan but don't need to buy any of the ingredients.

Thanks Judy
Hally

[judydawn]

Wonder if I will win another brownie point from DS Hally