Life has many surprises and I was stumped last weekend while grocery shopping with Ro-Ri San. As we entered the store, he said it would be nice to have some of the Baked Mac and Cheese I made the last time. “Seriously? With bacon bits?”, I asked. He said, “Yes, and some parsley, please!”. If this was coming from Ro-Jiro, I wouldn’t be at all surprise as my youngest son loves pasta and cheese. It must be the weather, but how can I refuse? While I picked out the rest of the ingredients, Ro-Ri San went to get the macaroni. He chose a gluten-free brown rice macaroni so that Ro-Taro would be able to eat it as well. Apprehension was setting in. Ro-Taro eating mac and cheese? We’ll see…
I decided to make it for lunch on Sunday. As I did not have a salad to accompany the dish, I added some cauliflower into the mac and cheese itself. I used rice flour for the sauce and substituted the panko breadcrumbs with crushed rice cereals. It was an easy dish to prepare and after a quick photo shoot, we were ready to sit down to eat. I gave Ro-Taro a very small portion and said that he could have more if he liked it. Of course, Ro-Jiro was more than happy. Everyone tucked in and to my pleasant surprise, Ro-Taro asked for more. Before long, the casserole dish was emptied! 😀
I am thankful that we can now easily buy gluten-free pasta. This is the brown rice macaroni I used. It holds its shape well and is not starchy after boiling. Please use regular wheat macaroni and panko breadcrumbs, if you prefer, or check out my Baked Mac and Cheese with Panko and Bacon recipe.
- 8 oz (225g) brown rice macaroni
- 3 tbsp (45g) butter
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 2½ cups (600ml) low fat milk
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups (8oz/225g) shredded cheese blend (mozzarella, cheddar, and Monterey Jack)
- 2 cups (225g) cauliflower florets
- ½ cup(g) chopped parsley
- ½ cup (55g) parmesan cheese
- 4 bacon rashers
- ¼ cup (30g) rice cereals, crushed
- Cook macaroni according to packaging instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to get rid of starch.
- Place in a large bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Set aside.
- Grease an 9” deep casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a medium sized pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in rice flour and dry mustard and cook for about 2 minutes. Gradually stir in milk. When it comes to a boil, season with salt and pepper. Add cheese blend and stir till melted. Stir in cauliflower and parsley. Turn off heat.
- Pour onto pasta and mix well. Dish into prepared casserole dish. Top with parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
- In the meantime, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel and crumble into bacon bits.
- Remove casserole from oven. Sprinkle crushed rice cereals and bacon bits onto pasta. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove and serve immediately.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 8)
Not your average kiddie mac n cheese! Fantastic.
Have mac and cheese many times but not with cauliflower and rice cereals. Definitely got to try this,
I so have to try this! It looks wonderful!
Love your twist on Mac & Cheese! Sounds so delicious!
Hi Biren – My granddaughter was just put on a gluten free diet so I’m an very happy to have your recipes. I know she would love this mac and cheese recipe. Adding cauliflower is a delicious idea.
healthy and delicious
Lovely, lovely, lovely!!! I adore this mac and cheese because it has cauliflower in it! What a great way to add some more nutrition into something your kids already love. Perfect!!
PS… you had me at the bacon too. Mmmmmmm!
That’s a great twist on mac & cheese! I like the addition of cauliflower and the crushed rice cereal.
Love the idea of cauliflower in your mac and cheese…a healthy touch to it.
Hope you are having a great week Biren 🙂
looks simple and delicious!
Biren – What a nice idea to have cauliflower in mac and cheese! The bacon bits make it even better. Great recipe!
Loving that you put cauliflower into this mac and cheese…totally delicious!
Wow! Your photos are tempting me to eat the mac & cheese off the screen:D Would love to try this soon since your boys are loving it, mine should too….I hope! The bacon should tempt them:)
Looks good especially with the bacon! My kids would love this, and so would I! Thanks for sharing, have a lovely weekend!
looks delicious and healthy. yum yum
Lovely presentation too and have a nice day.
Gluten free or not, love this recipe! Cauliflower is one of my faves & u make me drool baking the veg with cheese. Yum!
ish! I love all the flavors here and I could really use brown rice pasta anytime! I like how you used the crisp bacon on top to give another texture and crunch. I can see why it didn’t last! Lucky you were able to get a photo before it was gone! 😉
Lovely twist on mac & cheese. Love it.
Your casserole dish looks easy to follow. I like the crispy bacon bits topping.
I want to and must make this too! Looks super delicious!
Ooooh I love mac and cheese! And I also love adding cauliflower to it – this looks amazing and it’s so impressive that it’s gluten free!!
love your Mac&cheese twist. what a great idea to add cauliflower. will keep this in mind next time it’s mac&cheese kinda night.
Love your version of mac and cheese. It reminds me of a recipe for green mac and cheese, wonder if you’ve heard of it? It’s an addition of broccoli and spinach puree and also a great way to hide veggies for little kids to eat *hehe*
I completely missed this post! Hmmm nice way to eat cauliflower and I love you cooked with mac and cheese. It’s so creamy and gratin (that’s how we would call it) is one of my childhood’s favorite food. It’s definitely nice for cold day like today…
What a great idea to add cauliflower in your mac and cheese! I’ve tried adding some frozen mixed veggies the other time and it tasted great too! I shall try your recipe the next time! 😉
I’ve put cauliflower in my mac and cheese most of my married life. I used 2/3 sharp cheddar and 1/3 pepper jack, which gives it a nice “zing” without being overpowering. We don’t eat meat in our house, so I’d have to omit the bacon, but I will have to try your gluten-free sauce. We have a friend who has celiac, so this will be my contribution to the Sunday School picnic! Thanks!
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Lady Anne! 🙂 Yes, the cauliflower helps reduce the creaminess a little which is nice. I am glad you found a recipe here that would work for your friend. Please feel free to check out my Gluten-Free Gallery for more gluten-free recipes. Have a lovely weekend!