Baked Rotini with Cauliflower Cream

This is a delicious alternative to anything that comes out of a box (or bag). We start off with a nutritious cauliflower based cheese sauce. Next we use fresh Cowichan Pasta whole grain rotini…an amazingly tasty and protein loaded noodle! Give this recipe a try and stock your freezer with the left-overs!

Ingredients

For the crispy topping:
1 ½ cups large flake oats (chopped)
½ cup coconut
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
Couple pinches of salt and pepper
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
½ of an onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 can coconut milk
1 head cauliflower (chopped)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup shredded white cheddar (tightly packed)
1 package Cowichan rotini
1 head broccoli (cut into bite sized pieces)

Directions

Mix the ingredients for the topping, stir well and set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil for the rotini. Cook the rotini as per the instructions and then drain and cool.
While the rotini is cooking, preheat a medium pot on medium heat. Add the butter and once it’s melted, add the onion. Sauté until the onions are lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer, stirring regularly.
Add the coconut milk, cauliflower and salt, raise the temperature to high and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, place a tight fitting lid on the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft.
Now it’s time to puree the cauliflower with a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender. Make sure the sauce is as smooth as possible.
You can add the shredded cheese to the sauce and blend a little more or simple stir until it is melted and incorporated.
To finish this off, mix the noodles and broccoli into the sauce, transfer to a casserole dish, pack down lightly and then sprinkle on the topping.
Bake in a preheated 375° F oven until the topping is lightly browned.

PREP 25 mins
COOK 30 mins