Cauliflower cheese pasta bake with spinach is a great comfort food dish and ready in just over 30 minutes so perfect for mid week. Just cook your pasta and vegetables, pour over a simple white cheese sauce, top with more cheese and bake in the oven. It's tasty, filling and can even be prepared in advance. It's also a good recipe for using up any leftover cauliflower cheese.
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Common Questions
Watery cauliflower cheese results from overcooking the cauliflower. The texture should be firm.
This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover cauliflower cheese. Just add the sauce and cauliflower to the cooked pasta and add in any other vegetables. If you don't have enough, you can make more sauce and just add the leftover sauce to your new sauce. Cauliflower cheese will keep in the fridge for 2 - 3 days.
Cauliflower cheese doesn't freeze very well as the cauliflower takes on more moisture and can be mushy when defrosted, which in turn makes the cheese sauce watery.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Cauliflower. You can eat the cauliflower leaves and stalks as well as the head. Just wash them and chop into bite sized chunks and cook along with the cauliflower head.
- Be careful not to overcook the cauliflower as it will go a bit watery. The texture should be firm. Remember with a pasta bake the pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Like the cauliflower, you want the pasta to be 'al dente' or still a little firm when bitten, before putting it in the oven.
- Cheese. Use a mature cheddar cheese to flavour the cheese sauce. A mature cheddar has a stronger flavour, so you will need less of it. As with all recipes, I recommend grating the cheese yourself as it's more economical and reduces plastic waste. Pre-grated cheeses don't always melt so well due to the anti-clumping agents that are added to them. If you don't have cheddar, you could substitute another hard cheese. Gruyere cheese also works as it melts very well and has a salty and nutty flavour. Older gruyere will give your pasta bake a stronger flavour.
- Vegetables. I've added spinach to this cheese pasta bake, but you could also add broccoli and leeks. Kale goes well and is a good source of iron. If you are adding a whole head of broccoli as well as cauliflower, reduce the pasta quantity slightly or you might not have room in the dish. This cauliflower cheese pasta bake is filling enough to have as a main meal.
- White Cheese Sauce. A traditional cheese sauce is very easy to make. Just add all the ingredients, apart from the cheese into the pan and stir over a medium heat. If you keep stirring it, you will have next to no lumps. Once the sauce starts to bubble, it will begin to thicken. At this point, add the cheese and it will melt and flavour the sauce nicely.
- Topping Grated cheese will give a lovely topping. You could also add some breadcrumbs for a bit of crunch. This helps use up any bread that is past its best and helps prevent food waste.
Purple Cauliflower
Purple cauliflower is completely natural and worth a special mention as it looks so amazing. If you can get hold of one, this cauliflower cheese pasta bake is a great way to use it. The flavour is slightly sweeter and nuttier than white cauliflower and it will retain its colour when cooked. To store, cover the head with a damp cloth and put the entire cauliflower into a zip lock bag with a few holes in it so it can breathe. Cauliflowers need some air circulation. Store in the bottom of the fridge. A whole cauliflower will last about one week. Cut florets will last around 4 days.
How to make it
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/390°F/gas mark 6 and bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Place the pasta in the boiling water then reduce to a simmer and cook as per the packet instructions. Add the cauliflower to the water for the last 5 minutes until it is tender but not too soft, then drain.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt the butter, sieve in the flour and add the milk, and hot vegetable stock. Bring to a boil stirring all the time then simmer until the sauce thickens. Keep stirring and any lumps will disappear. Add half the cheddar cheese and nutmeg and stir until the cheese has melted.
- Tip the pasta and cauliflower back into a large pan and stir in the spinach and cheese sauce. Tip everything into an oven proof baking dish and sprinkle over the remaining cheddar. You should aim for a light covering of grated cheese. If you have a large dish, you may need to use more cheese to cover your pasta. If you're making this to use later, leave to cool and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 days but is best cooked within 24 hours. See the tips on preparing in advance.
- Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
Making it in advance
It's always useful to be able to meal prep and make dishes in advance. You can assemble this entire pasta bake. Let it cool then keep it in the fridge for a maximum of 2 days. It is however best cooked within 24 hours. If you are planning on doing this, cook the pasta and cauliflower for slightly less time so they still have some bite. This is because the pasta and cauliflower will absorb some of the liquid from the sauce and we don't want them going too soft.
Sustainability
Cauliflower is one of those rare vegetables that is actually harvested all year round. Don't forget, the cauliflower leaves and stems are also edible so no need to waste them! The outer part of the stem might be a bit tough so peel this, but everything else is good to eat. Buy the vegetables loose in order to minimise the plastic packaging. Buying from local sources will further reduce the carbon footprint as well as help to support your local economy. Nutmeg, which is used here in the cheese sauce is available as a Fairtrade product. Fairtrade nutmeg powder is sourced from Sri Lanka. and comes from the Small Organic Farmers Association.
Storage
You can keep this cauliflower pasta bake in the fridge for up to two days. It doesn't freeze well unfortunately as the cauliflower will go mushy. To store cauliflowers, place them in a loosely sealed plastic bag with holes to allow for air circulation. Pop in a cloth or paper towel to absorb any moisture and store them in the bottom of the fridge in the salad compartment. A whole cauliflower should keep well for a week. Keep it upside down to prevent condensation forming on top of the florets. Cut florets will keep for about 4 days.
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake with spinach
Ingredients
- 575 g cauliflower organic, cut into florets
- 340 g pasta shapes organic, fairtrade
- 100 g spinach organic
Cheese Sauce
- 40 g plain flour organic
- 40 g butter organic
- 300 ml milk organic
- 300 ml vegetable stock organic
- 200 g mature cheddar cheese organic, grated
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg organic, fairtrade
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/390°F/gas mark 6 and bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Place the pasta in the boiling water then reduce to a simmer and cook as per the packet instructions. Add the cauliflower to the water for the last 5 minutes until it is tender but not too soft, then drain.575 g cauliflower, 340 g pasta shapes
- Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt the butter, sieve in the flour and add the milk and hot vegetable stock. Bring to a boil stirring all the time then simmer until the sauce thickens. Keep stirring to get rid of any lumps. Add half the cheddar cheese and nutmeg and stir until the cheese has melted.40 g plain flour, 40 g butter, 300 ml milk, 300 ml vegetable stock, 200 g mature cheddar cheese, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Tip the pasta and cauliflower back into a large pan and stir in the spinach and cheese sauce. Tip everything into an oven proof baking dish and sprinkle over the remaining cheddar. (Store in the fridge at this point if necessary)100 g spinach
- Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Cauliflower. You can eat the cauliflower leaves and stalks as well as the head. Just wash them and chop into bite sized chunks and cook along with the cauliflower head.
- Be careful not to overcook the cauliflower as it will go a bit watery. The texture should be firm. Remember with a pasta bake the pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Like the cauliflower, you want the pasta to be 'al dente' or still a little firm when bitten, before putting it in the oven.
- Cheese. Use a mature cheddar cheese to flavour the cheese sauce. A mature cheddar has a stronger flavour, so you will need less of it. As with all recipes, I recommend grating the cheese yourself as it's more economical and reduces plastic waste. Pre-grated cheeses don't always melt so well due to the anti-clumping agents that are added to them.
- Vegetables. I've added spinach to this cheese pasta bake, but you could also add broccoli and leeks. Kale works well too and is a good source of iron. If you are adding a whole head of broccoli as well as cauliflower, reduce the pasta quantity slightly or you might not have room in the dish. This cauliflower cheese is filling enough to have as a main meal.
- White Cheese Sauce. A traditional cheese sauce is very easy to make. Just add all the ingredients, apart from the cheese into the pan and stir over a medium heat. If you keep stirring it, you will have next to no lumps. Once the sauce starts to bubble, it will begin to thicken. At this point, add the cheese and it will melt and flavour the sauce nicely.
Storage
You can keep this cauliflower cheese pasta bake in the fridge for up to two days. It doesn't freeze well unfortunately. Cauliflowers are best stored in a paper bag in the fridge. A whole cauliflower should keep well for a week. Keep it upside down to prevent condensation forming on top of the florets.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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