Cauliflower Macaroni Cheese

Cheesy, gooey, and totally comforting, this cauliflower mac and cheese turns leftover veggies into midweek magic. Swap in broccoli or sneak in extra veg—your taste buds (and your diet) won’t even notice! Quick, cheap, and utterly satisfying.

1. Preheat oven
   Heat to 200 °C / 400 °F / Gas 6.
2. Cook pancetta
   Lay pancetta in a 25 cm × 30 cm roasting tray.
   Bake on the top shelf for 10–12 minutes until golden and crisp.
3. Prepare cauliflower
   Remove and discard the leaves and stalk.
   Cut florets into bite-size pieces.
4. Cook pasta & cauliflower
   Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
   Cook pasta for 3–5 minutes, then add cauliflower and cook 5 minutes more.
5. Prep cheese & garlic
   Coarsely grate Cheddar.
   Peel and finely chop garlic. Set aside.

6. Make breadcrumb topping
Transfer cooked pancetta to a food processor.
Add one-third of the grated Cheddar, torn bread, olive oil and rosemary leaves.
Blitz to coarse breadcrumbs.

7. Reserve cooking water
When pasta and cauliflower are done, ladle out and keep 400 ml of the cooking water.
Drain pasta and cauliflower and tip them into the empty roasting tray.

8. Make the sauce in the tray
Put the tray over a low heat.
Pour in the reserved cooking water.
Add garlic, crème fraîche, remaining Cheddar, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Finely grate Parmesan into the mix.
Stir well, lightly mashing the cauliflower with a potato masher.
(Add a splash more water if the mixture looks too thick.)

9. Assemble & bake
Spread the mixture out evenly in the tray.
Scatter over the pancetta breadcrumbs.
Bake on the top shelf for about 10 minutes, until golden and bubbling.

10. Serve
Serve hot with a pinch of black pepper and extra grated Parmesan on top, if you like.