Buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese
Creamy cheddar mac with a kick of buffalo sauce, piled with crispy air-fried buffalo cauliflower, blue cheese and green onions.
- 45 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $1.90 a serving
- 740 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 lb cauliflower, bite-size florets
- 12 oz elbow macaroni
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups milk
- ⅓ cup Buffalo wing sauce, divided
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles, crumbled (optional)
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt, plus ½ tsp
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 740 calories, 31 g protein, 79 g carbs and 33 g fat, and costs about $1.90 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No elbow macaroni? Penne works.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, cover and over high heat. Heat the air fryer to 400°F.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
the cauliflower florets with the oil and ½ teaspoon salt and air fry 12 to 15 minutes, shaking twice, until browned and tender.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Timer: 13 min 30 sec
Meanwhile, cook the macaroni 1 minute less than the package says, then . the cheddar while it cooks.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
High heatTimer: 6 min
the butter in the empty pot over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute, .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Slowly whisk in the milk and cook 5 to 6 minutes, often, until it bubbles and .
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Whisk the first splash of milk smooth before adding more. That’s how you stop lumps.Turn the heat to low and stir in the cheddar a handful at a time, then the garlic powder and 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce.
Low heat
Stir in the macaroni until coated.
Low heat
the hot cauliflower with the rest of the buffalo sauce.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Toss it right before serving so it stays crisp.Spoon the mac into bowls and top with the buffalo cauliflower, blue cheese and green onions.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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