Super Cheesy Low Fat Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

My kids favorite food is Mac and Cheese. They love the boxed version as well as homemade. I bought a big head of cauliflower when I was at the store the other day and was not sure exactly what I was going to do with it. My mom always did a decadent cauliflower bake where she boiled the whole head of cauliflower, then covered it in a mix of mayo and mustard and then shredded cheddar, she would bake it until melted and it was delicious. It was not the healthiest way to dress up a veggie, so I decided to scour the internet and see what else I could find. I found a lot of cauliflower mac and cheese recipes and thought it sounded interesting, however most of them were super high in fat! Heavy cream, cream cheese and whole milk cheese! I knew I could make it a little healthier and still make my family happy! My kids and husband gobbled it up and it reminded me of my mom’s recipe, gooey, cheesy and oh so yummy! (Since I am on ww, I put the points at the bottom of the recipe)

Super Cheesy  Low Fat Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat macaroni or penne
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 cup nonfat milk
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 cup grated 2% Cheddar Cheese , divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs (made my own)
• ½ Tbsp olive oil
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook cauliflower for 2 minutes. Remove and drain. Keep water boiling and cook macaroni until Al dente; drain and set aside.
2. In a small frying pan sprayed with pam, cook onion and garlic until soft.
3. In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Mix in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk milk into flour mixture; cook for 10 minutes more or until mixture comes to a simmer. Add onion mixture and ½ cup of the cheese, stir until well blended.
4. Add salt, pepper, and to taste.
5. Brown the bread crumbs in the olive oil in the frying pan.
6. Mix macaroni and cauliflower with the cheese sauce and pour into a 12- by 10-inch ovenproof dish, sprinkle with remaining Cheddar Cheese and top with bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.

( 1 1/4 cup serving is 6 points +)