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The Whole Smiths

The Whole Smiths

Whole Eating + Happy Living

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Method
      • 5 Ingredients or Less
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Easy-to-Make
      • Instant Pot
      • Make Ahead, Keep on Hand
      • One Dish, Pan, Pot or Sheet Pan
      • Weekend Living
    • Dietary Guidelines
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten-Free
      • Grain-Free
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Meal Type
      • Breakfast + Brunch
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Soups, Stews, + Chilis Too
      • Vegetables, Sides + Salads
      • Smoothies + Beverages
      • Dessert
      • Snacks + Appetizers
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Good Food Cookbook
    • Real Food Every Day
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • About
    • Meet Michelle
    • Food Philosophy
    • Michelle This Month
  • Resources
    • Discounts
    • Shop
    • Cooking Staples
    • Better Beauty
  • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Contact

Cauliflower Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese

This Cauliflower Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese from The Whole Smiths is not only absolutely mouth-watering delicious but it’s a great way to enjoy the flavors of mac ’n cheese without the gluten. Not to mention a great way to get your veggies in! And just 5 ingredients. Is there anything cauliflower can’t do? I think not.

overhead shot of healthy cauliflower pepper jack mac and cheese in a white casserole dish

Ohh Mac ’n Cheese, is there anyone who doesn’t love you? Nope, we all do. It’s a fact. Whether it’s a crummy boxed mac ’n cheese or a 4-cheese gourmet mac ’n cheese, it’s all good one way or another.

What’s not-so-good about it are the gluten and grains some of us have a hard time digesting. I often have to skip over traditional macaroni and cheeses, much to my heart’s dismay. But what happens when you replace that gluten-carb-heavy pasta with… a vegetable? Magic, that’s what.

overhead shot of cauliflower pepper jack mac and cheese in a white casserole dish

Get more vegetables.

If you’ve been looking for a way to get more vegetables into you and your family’s bellies, here it is. Cauliflower Pepper Jack Mac ’n Cheese. Don’t let the pepper jack throw you off though, it’s not all that spicy. If you’re concerned about it being a bit too spicy for the littlest family members feel free to use a regular jack cheese and omit the green chiles.

And let’s talk about this 5-Ingredient bit now shall we? I said it’s a 5 ingredient recipe, didn’t I? But there’s more than 5 ingredients on the ingredient list here, you say. I don’t consider panty and refrigerator staples in that 5-ingredient component. Here’s why, these are ingredients you should always keep on hand in your home if you are looking to make this whole food eating gig easy. Things like salt, milk and butter are all considered staples and aid you in cooking simple meals and recipes. You should only need to shop for 5 additional ingredients. To read more about my 5-Ingredient philosophy and to download a handy panty and refrigerator checklist head over here.

close-up shot of healthy cauliflower pepper jack mac and cheese in a white casserole dish

You can do this. 

Don’t stress out about this recipe, make do with what you have. You wanna use cheddar cheese? Use cheddar cheese. You want more cheese? Sprinkle some more over top. And don’t stress out too much about the size of your baking dish. In the instructions below I recommend a “medium” sized dish, roughly a 10 x 7 inch pan is fine. Give or take. This isn’t baking a cake, as long as you have a hearty layer along the bottom you’ll be just fine. My favorite baking dishes are from Le Creuset. The are timeless and hold up well after many upon many uses.

With that said, on to the recipe!

 a wooden spoon with cauliflower pepper jack mac and cheese balanced over a casserole dish

the whole smiths

Tips:

  • If you’re short on time, steaming your cauliflower will work as well. Just make sure not to over-
    steam your cauliflower as you’re likely to end up with cauliflower mush ’n cheese.
  • Feel free to replace the pepper jack for standard, regular jack cheese for sensitive palates.
  • This recipe works equally great replacing the cauliflower with broccoli, go ahead and mix it up!
  • Don’t worry too much about whether you use cream or milk or low-fat milk versus full-fat milk. Use what you have on hand and know the higher the fat content of the milk you use, the creamier it will be.

Can I use this sauce with regular pasta?

Yep! Not a problem. It will still be rich and creamy and delicious.

Any way to make this recipe dairy-free?

I have not recipe tested this with alternative cheeses and milks. It’s always worth a shot but note that it will have a very different flavor and texture profile.

Does this freeze well?

While this recipe is fantastic for leftovers (feel free to double batch it!) it doesn’t freeze fantastically. I mean, you can, but it will lose a bit of it’s texture.

print recipe

Cauliflower Pepper Jack “Mac” ’n Cheese

This Cauliflower Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese from The Whole Smiths is not only absolutely
mouth-watering delicious but it’s a great way to enjoy the flavors of mac ’n cheese without the
gluten. Not to mention a great way to get your veggies in! And just 5 ingredients. Is there
anything cauliflower can’t do? I think not.
Prep Time12 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 12 mins
Course: dinner / main, Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cauliflower mac and cheese, healthy mac and cheese, healthy macaroni and cheese
Servings: 4 -6

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower broken down into small florets
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 yellow onion chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup cream or milk
  • 2 1/4 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
  • 1 4- ounce can green chiles

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450* F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Toss the cauliflower, olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt together in a large bowl until the cauliflower is fully coated.
  • Spread the cauliflower onto the parchment lined baking sheet in one even layer and bake it for 20 minutes.
  • Add the onions to the large bowl and stir the vegetables around to coat them with any excess olive oil. If there is not enough remaining olive oil in the bowl simply add an additional 1/2 teaspoon.
  • After 20 minutes, add the onions to the baking sheet with the cauliflower and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Set aside.
  • Heat a stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once the pot is hot add the butter. When the butter melts, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it is fragrant and lightly browned. Add the cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
  • Raise the temperature on the stove to medium-high and heat for 2 minutes until the cream starts to bubble.
  • Add 2 cups of cheese into the cream and stir it until it is melted. Add the green chiles and stir to combine.
  • Add the roasted cauliflower and onion to the pot of cheese sauce and lightly toss to coat.
  • Add the cauliflower to a medium sized baking dish and sprinkle 1/4 cup of the shredded pepper jack over top. Don’t stress about the exact size of your baking dish, as long as you can get a solid layer across the bottom it will work. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until it is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • If you’re short on time, steaming your cauliflower will work as well. Just make sure not to over-steam your cauliflower as you’re likely to end up with cauliflower mush ’n cheese.
  • Feel free to replace the pepper jack for standard, regular jack cheese for sensitive palates.
  • This recipe works equally great replacing the cauliflower with broccoli, go ahead and mix it up!
  • Don’t worry too much about whether you use cream or milk or low-fat milk versus full-fat milk.
  • Use what you have on hand and know the higher the fat content of the milk you use, the creamier it will be.
did you make this recipe?Tag @thewholesmiths on Instagram
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Note: I only work with companies and products that I feel passionately about and that align with the Whole Smiths’ views and that this post contains sponsored content. While I am compensated for the work I do, my opinions and bad jokes are always 100% my own.

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welcome!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet, I’m Michelle and welcome to the Whole Smiths. These days I’m a mother to two smiley girls, a happy wife to one fantastic dude and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Seriously though! Let’s have a stinky convo, h Seriously though!  Let’s have a stinky convo, huh?  As soon as I started cleaning up my food perspective, cleaner personal care products came into my world as well.  I didn’t even really think twice about it before but those worlds tend to collide. So here I am today not only mindful of what I put INTO my body (food) but the stuff I’m putting ONTO my body (products).  Deodorant was the first thing I swapped as the ingredients and effects of traditional anti-perspirants were most alarming to me.  But I was suuuuuuuper hesitant. I was not a person who rarely sweated. I was! In workouts or just through the day. I even carries a travel anti-perspirant in my purse during the day.  And yeah, that end of day weird smell of anti-perspirant “powder fresh” scent mixed with whatever was goin on in my body was... not good. You KNOW what I’m talking about!  So I was reeeeeeally hesitant about switching to cleaner products.  But it really was the best thing ever. It took a some time, I’m not going to lie. It took time to fond the right ones that didn’t irritant my skin and ones that... actually worked!  Today I use Beautycounter’s newly released refillable deodorants as well as Stank Stop from @fatco. I use both and honestly it pretty much comes down to which scent I’m favoring that day, that dictates my choice.  They both work fab for me and don’t leave stains on my clothing, smell nice and don’t irritate my skin.  And here’s what else, I do not sweat NEARLY as much as I used to. I was worried I would be a sweaty pig to put it lightly. But after time, my body adjusted and it’s really not even a problem. And no smell. It works!  And here’s the thing... WE ARE SUPPOSED TO SWEAT PEOPLE! So when we wear anti-perspirant I can imagine that throws off our natural balance.  So if you’ve been hesitant, give it a try!  I linked to the Beautycounter deo in my bio and you can visit @fatco to try theirs out.  Ask any questions in the comments and I’ll get to them for you.  God bless the day I am talk about my body odor (or now lack thereof!) in a public forum. 🙄🥴  https://www.beautycounter.com/michellesmith3?goto=/clean-deo
Unh, ahh Sweet Potato ...Hash. An oldie but good Unh, ahh Sweet Potato ...Hash.  An oldie but goodie.  One of my first recipes to “go viral” was this Sweet Potato Hash. With good reason, it’s so freaking good!  I made it multiple times a week in the early days of this website and it’s kinda trailed off for no good reason.  Time to bring it back.  I’m whipping up a batch tomorrow to use through the week, it reheats perfectly. Just make the hash ahead of time and fry an egg to throw on top day of.  Recipe at the link in my profile. Double the bath and you’re be good to go on breakfasts for the week.  https://www.thewholesmiths.com/bacon-sweet-potato-hash/
🚨SYPB🚨 That’s Save Your Pickle Brine for 🚨SYPB🚨  That’s Save Your Pickle Brine for those of you that are out of the loop.  Then you can make these Pickle Brined Crispy Chicken Thighs and thank me later.  Recipe at the link in my profile. ✌🏼  https://www.thewholesmiths.com/dill-pickle-brined-crispy-chicken/
BRAND NEW RECIPE Pickle Brined Crispy Chicken Y BRAND NEW RECIPE  Pickle Brined Crispy Chicken  Yep. That crispy skin, that pickle-briney goodness, who *doesn’t* love a juicy thigh right up in their face?  That may be a bit intense of a description for chicken... But damn, are these some good chicken thighs.  Recipe at the link in my bio. Save that pickle brine friends!  www.thewholesmiths.com
Bay Areaaaaaa! 🙌🏼 I’m putting together a Bay Areaaaaaa! 🙌🏼  I’m putting together a local, virtual event to support local businesses here in town and I’d love you to attend!  I wanted to put together an event that didn’t *feel* virtual and had some other common components we could enjoy together.  So not only will your ticket include a SIGNED copy of my new book, Real Food Every Day, but you’ll also receive a bottle of wine from @mcgrailvineyards and an awesome cheese / charcuterie box from @charmingfigcatering to enjoy during the demo. Pick up will be at McGrail the day of the event.  All books will be supplied by local indie bookstore, @townecenterbks .  Join us for a fun evening, tag your friends, share this post and let’s join together as community to support our community. 💛  Tickets available at the link in my profile!  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/real-food-everyday-virtual-event-tickets-134461001475  Thank you to our friends at @lovelivermore for their support of this event!  Additional pickup details and Zoom link will be emailed in the days leading up to the event.  @livermoredowntown @cityoflivermore @livermores_latest @livermorevalleywinecountry  #livermore #downtownlivermore @livermorechamber
As I continue on my Comfort Food 2021 Tour... toni As I continue on my Comfort Food 2021 Tour... tonight’s dinner will be these Tomato Basil Baked Eggs smothered on top of a GF Belgian waffle from @josiesbestgf .  And that is how I am choosing to end my week.  How ‘bout you? What’s for dinner? 👇🏼  Are you on the comfort food train too? Also, just a reminder.. comfort food doesn’t need to mean it’s “bad” for you! There’s plenty of wholesome, real food based comfort foods out there. And there’s always Cheetos.  Baked Egg recipe at the link in my bio.  https://www.thewholesmiths.com/tomato-basil-baked-eggs/
Where it started (our first picture together) and Where it started (our first picture together) and (swipe) how it’s going (Thanksgiving this year). 💛  Happy 11 years to Brad and I. The road hasn’t always been easy but I am so proud of the life and family we have built together.  Not only do I love this guy but I really LIKE HIM TOO. He’s not only my husband but my bestie and a wonderful human (better than me for sure). I never thought I’d say this, but there’s no one else I’d rather be locked down with during a pandemic for 11 months.  It’s a good thing we can entertain each other, grow together and while we may bicker at stupid stuff (like Brad’s SHOES LEFT ALL OVER THE HOUSE), we are always, always respectful of each other.  If we can survive this year I think we can survive any upcoming alien invasion, zombie apocalypse or... I don’t know what’s left at this point. Sharknados?  So very excited for our next chapter. Happy anniversary Bradley. ❤️

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