Cauliflower casserole: A wholesome twist on classic comfort

While preparing the casserole, you can cook the cauliflower along with the pasta. This is a quick way to soften the florets before putting them in the oven. However, if you're concerned about overcooking, prepare them in a separate pot or steam them. Blanch the florets under cold, running water after cooking to make the cauliflower crisper.

Blanching is a process that helps maintain the vibrant colour and crispness of vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli. This procedure stops the cooking process, helping to maintain the desired firmness of the vegetables. Similarly, you can blanch other vegetables, such as green beans or spinach. In this form, they work better in salads or as additions to main dishes.

Some vegetables, like carrots and beets, gain more nutritional value after cooking due to the release of carotenoids. However, cauliflower, although very tasty when cooked, is also worth eating raw as it provides much more vitamin C that way.

A great advantage of cauliflower is its versatility. It works excellently in the kitchen both as an ingredient in hot dishes, such as cream soup, and as a base for salads. Moreover, cauliflower can be an alternative to rice when broken into smaller pieces and lightly roasted.

The given ingredients serve 4 people.

Ingredients:

              
• 250 ml (1 cup) of pasta, such as shells or penne,
• half a cauliflower,
• 2 tablespoons of butter (about 25 grams),
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour,
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) of milk,
• 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of grated cheese (can be cheddar, mozzarella, gruyère, or brie),
• a pinch of salt,
• optional: 1 teaspoon of mustard and 3 tablespoons of pine nuts or almond flakes.

Instructions:

        
1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions.
2. 3 minutes before the end of cooking, add the cauliflower broken into florets. Drain the cooked ingredients and transfer them to a baking dish.
3. Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour, and mix to prepare the base for the béchamel sauce. Stir continuously, gradually adding the milk. If you wish, you can add mustard at this point.
4. Add the grated cheese and a pinch of salt. Stir until you achieve a smooth sauce consistency.
5. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and pasta in the baking dish. Place in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) and bake for about 15 minutes. You can add pine nuts or almond flakes halfway through baking.