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Our trusty pal cauliflower makes up the base of this decadent sauce that oozes through the macaroni … which, technically, makes this healthy? In short, it’s a healthy baked mac & cheese with crispy almond crust — you just can’t beat that.

You will need

Serves 6

  • 1 packet of macaroni pasta or similar

For the sauce

  • 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1L oat milk
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
  • 3 sprig rosemary
  • 3 sprig thyme
  • 300g plant-based mozzarella
  • Salt and pepper

For the crumble

  • 50ml grapeseed oil
  • 150g bread crumbs
  • 3 sprigs of oregano
  • 50g toasted almonds, rough crumb
  • 50g baked almond feta
  • Pinch salt

To serve

  • 100g mixed salad leaves
  • 1/2 bunch parsley, leaves picked
  • Lemon, juice
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

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Directions

10 mins to prep

20 mins to cook

25 mins to bake

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  2. Step 2

    Put a large pot of water on a stove and bring to a boil on high heat with a lid on.

  3. Step 3

    Towards the end of the cauliflower sauce’s cooking time (next step) add pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until just tender.

  4. Step 4

    Place cauliflower, oat milk, nutritional yeast, rosemary and thyme in a medium pot.

  5. Step 5

    Cook on medium heat for 15–20 minutes or until the cauliflower is super soft and falling apart and the liquid has reduced by a quarter.

  6. Step 6

    Take out the herb stems and blitz the mixture until smooth. Blitz through the mozzarella.

  7. Step 7

    Pour in the cooked pasta and mix around, then pour the mixture into a baking tray.

  8. Step 8

    For the crumble mixture blitz the almonds until rough and mix it with the bread crumbs and chopped herbs and salt and pepper.

  9. Step 9

    Layer the crumble mixture on top of the mac and cheese and sprinkle over the baked almond feta. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

  10. Step 10

    While it is baking, put together a leafy salad dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt for acidic balance.

Recipe: Simon Toohey