Comfort food on a diet? Yes, please! In the midst of a stressful day and on a low-carb or weight loss diet, you may be craving comfort food. This recipe can hit the spot, as it is creamy and has the textures and taste of pasta, but it is low in carbs, high in nutrition, and easy to cook.
You can make low-carb mac 'n' cheese with just cauliflower, but it may not have quite the same appeal as when it actually has pasta. Using Great Low Carb Pasta - Elbows in addition to cauliflower lets you get the texture and taste of pasta while keeping the carbohydrates low. Each serving of the pasta has 7 grams of net carbohydrates, including 25 grams total carbohydrates and 18 grams of dietary fiber. Cauliflower adds fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.
You can use your favorite cheeses in this recipe. It calls for sharp cheddar and parmesan cheeses, but blue cheese, swiss cheese, asiago, and pecorino are all good possibilities. They get pureed with the cauliflower, garlic, onions, and spices for a creamy, tasty sauce for the pasta.
The panko breadcrumbs add great texture to contrast with the creaminess of the cauliflower mac ‘n’ cheese, but they also add carbs. If you are on a very low-carbohydrate diet and cannot afford the panko breadcrumbs, you can try a lower-carb alternative, such as crumbs from low-carb bread, or pork rind panko.
Recipe for Mac 'n' Cheese with Low-Carb Elbows and Cauliflower
Makes 4 generous servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
Instructions: