Cauliflower cheese & spinach pasta bakes

Cauliflower cheese & spinach pasta bakes

Somewhere between macaroni and cauliflower cheese, these pasta bakes are perfect for a cold day

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 45 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Method

  1. For the tomato sauce, cook the sliced garlic in the oil for 1 min, then add the passata. Season, half-cover the pan and simmer for 20 mins until rich.
  2. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Put the milk, flour and 50g butter into a pan. Heat, whisking non-stop, until smooth, then bubble for 3 mins, stirring to make sure any flouriness is lost. Cool for 5 mins, then stir in the mustard, most of the cheddar, half the blue cheese and half the nutmeg.
  3. Boil the penne and cauliflower for 8 mins in salted water until the pasta is almost cooked and the cauli is tender. Keep 2 tbsp water from the pan, then drain. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan, add the whole garlic clove, spinach, remaining nutmeg, salt and lots of black pepper. Stir for 2 mins, then remove the garlic clove.
  4. Set aside 300ml cheese sauce and mix the rest into the cauli and pasta. Divide half the tomato sauce between 6 dishes and top with some spinach. Fill with cauli mix, top with more spinach, then the rest of the tomato sauce. Top with the cheese sauce, cheeses and pine nuts. Cover with cling film, cool and chill for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To cook, defrost if frozen. Heat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Cook on a baking sheet for 18-20 mins until golden and bubbling. Good with green salad or garlic bread.

591 kcalories, protein 28g, carbohydrate 60g, fat 29 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 8g, sugar 18g, salt 1.91 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-30

  • Binder photo Dee Soneji-Makani

    15 November 2011

    Dee Soneji-Makani rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Wonderful recipe...lovely autumnal meal!

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  • Binder photo tdawas

    29 January 2012

    tdawas rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Only way we can get cauliflower and spinach into our children's stomachs!

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  • Binder photo susieone

    16 June 2012

    susieone rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I halved the recipe, but otherwise followed it without alteration. I served it with garlic bread. It made a pleasant change for an after work supper and enabled me to use up a few odd things left in the fridge, but I won't repeat it. There was nothing wrong with the recipe; it just wasn't very inspiring.

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  • Binder photo MummyMandyMoo

    14 November 2012

    MummyMandyMoo rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    No doubt about it, this is yummy. However, it is a real faff to make and uses almost every pan in the kitchen! Will make again but use a shop bought tomato sauce. Would also use fresh spinach and just wilt it down with the butter and garlic rather than defrost frozen spinach, squeeze it out etc etc.

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  • Binder photo Shockers

    30 December 2012

    Shockers rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Top recipe....have used it regularly since appeared in the magazine, tend to use frozen spinach as it is one of our regular winter seasonal dishes. My fella always likes meat in ANYTHING so I add some chopped bacon to give him his fix. Easily freezable, so make batches and save time later, well worth the effort that way. EXCELLENT

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  • Binder photo Shockers

    30 December 2012

    Shockers commented on this recipe

    Top recipe....have used it regularly since appeared in the magazine, tend to use frozen spinach as it is one of our regular winter seasonal dishes. My fella always likes meat in ANYTHING so I add some chopped bacon to give him his fix. Easily freezable, so make batches and save time later, well worth the effort that way. EXCELLENT

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  • Binder photo Cat

    25 January 2013

    Cat commented on this recipe

    Would like to try. Recipe says Keep 2 tbsp water from the pan, then drain. But it doesnt say what to do with the water that you´ve kept?

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  • Binder photo Hantspen

    25 January 2013

    Hantspen rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Laura

    18 March 2013

    Laura rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo VickyB

    15 April 2013

    VickyB rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this the other night in a large dish and it was beautiful!!!! I used a little extra blue cheese and I did cheat and use a loyd grossman sauce just to save time. Highly recommend :)

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 45 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 850ml milk
  • 50g plain flour
  • 50g butter , plus 1 tbsp
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 100g extra mature cheddar , grated
  • 25-50g blue cheese
  • ½ tsp finely grated nutmeg
  • 250g penne
  • 1kg cauliflower (2 medium ones), cut into florets
  • 750g frozen spinach (whole leaf), defrosted and squeezed dry
  • 25g toasted pine nuts

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

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591 kcalories, protein 28g, carbohydrate 60g, fat 29 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 8g, sugar 18g, salt 1.91 g

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