Cauliflower Chicken Mac and Cheese
Published 10/7/2020 • Updated 9/15/2022
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You had me at cauliflower chicken mac and cheese. That’s right, this delicious mac and cheese casserole is lightened up with cauliflower, but packs in so much flavor (and cheese!).
We Love Mac!
We are big mac and cheese fans here at Fit Foodie Finds and we’re also big chicken casserole fans. Get excited because this recipe fuses the two and gives it a healthy twist!
Chicken Mac and Cheese is a popular dinner recipe and we’re making things a little bit better for you by adding cauliflower! It’s also gluten-free, which is a bonus for those that are celiac!
Noodle Time
One thing we really wanted to make sure of when testing this cauliflower chicken mac and cheese was to make the prep as easy as possible. This is why you’ll notice the noodles go into the casserole dish completely raw. There is no boiling involved!
Gluten Free Noodles: I also wanted to note the type of noodle we used – gluten-free. We only tested this recipe with one specific noodle. I repeat, one specific noodle and it’s the truRoots macaroni elbows. Since these are not made with gluten or white flour, they are going to cook differently than normal elbows.
Note: Just beware that your bake time might vary based on the noodle used!
Casserole Equation
Like the rest of the casseroles on Fit Foodie Finds, we followed our casserole equation: vegetables + protein + whole grains. We do this to make sure we’re covering all of our bases and getting all the food groups in one meal.
Other ingredients include:
- chicken breast
- cauliflower
- cheese sauce
- optional toppings: whole wheat bread crumbs and BACON
Make sure you follow all of our baking tips and directions in the written recipe. They’re essential to make sure your noodles don’t come out mushy from over baking!
Can You Make this Vegan?
While you probably can make this vegan, we 100% don’t suggest it. You’d not only have to remove the chicken, but also recreate the entire cheese sauce to make it dairy-free.
How to Store Mac and Cheese
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container, such as a glass pyrex
, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Freezer: If you plan to freeze, we suggest baking this in a disposable/aluminum casserole dish
. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of cooked, cooled casserole and press out all of the air. Then, wrap the entire casserole in tin foil and place in the freezer. Write the name and date of casserole in the tin foil. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: take the frozen casserole out of the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight. Either reheat single servings of the casserole in the microwave or reheat the entire thing in the oven (we suggest 375ºF for 20 minutes).
Cauliflower Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 a head of cauliflower, 4 cups florets
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 8 oz. gluten-free macaroni elbows, we used TruRoots
For the Sauce
- 3 cups 1% milk, or any kind, even dairy free
- 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 8 oz cheddar cheese
Optional Toppings
- Bread Crumbs
- Bacon
- Green Onion
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Chop cauliflower into 1.5-inch florets and place in casserole dish.
- In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over high heat.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste and brown for 1 minute to 1.5 minutes on each side. Then, slice chicken into chunks and place in casserole dish. Set aside.
- Make cheese sauce by heating 3 cups of 1% milk over medium/high heat while stirring consistently.
- Once simmering, add in tapioca flour one tablespoon at a time and continue whisk so that milk does not burn.
- Once milk starts to thicken (8-10 minutes in), turn heat down to low and slowly add in 8 oz. shredded white cheddar cheese. Don’t forget to continue whisking!
- Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder into cheese sauce.
- Pour cheese sauce over the top of chicken/cauliflower and then add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Mix until everything is combined.
- Bake 375ºF, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Remove casserole from oven and add noodles and stir.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and stir. Place back in and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Remove casserole from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes on your stovetop. Continue to to stir often to release heat so that the noodles do not continue to cook.
- Once casserole is cooled, top with optional bread crumbs, bacon, and green onions.
- Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Noodles: we’ve only tested this recipe with truRoots Ancient Grain Elbow Pasta. It cooks quickly and will continue to cook when taken out of the oven. Be conscious of this as you check the noodles after 5 minutes. Everyone’s oven is a little bit different, so watch out that your noodles don’t turn to mush!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is one my go-to fall recipes! I added a little cayenne pepper to the sauce this time and I’m loving it. Thanks for the best fall staple recipes fit foodie ladies!
Glad you love this!! Question- what kind of noodles do you usually use?
My way of making this recipe is use diced chicken and use the rice cauliflower and velveeta and Colby cheese.
I love this recipe, I look forward to making it a few times every winter! I used chickpea noodles (pre cooked them slightly before) and it turned out great!!
Breadcrumbs, bacon & green onions = necessary addition!
Hey Lee, I think I may have made something wrong? My cheese sauce came out broken after I baked it, and kind of dry. The only differences in the recipe were that I used coconut flour instead of tapioca flour, and Braille protein pasta instead of the pasta listen in the recipe. It still tastes good and is very filling, but a little dry.
Lee, do you think it’s possible to prep this and stick it in the fridge so my husband can just pop it in the oven when he gets home?
I am do making this with Chrissy Teigen’s Garlic Bread Crumb recipe – it will be perfection! Love your site. 🙂
I actually made this in the crock pot and it turned out great!
I cooked the chicken breasts first in the crock pot for 3 hours. Then when they were done I shredded the chicken then dumped/stirred the rest of the ingredients into the pot and cooked for an extra hour.
GENIUS!!! Thank you for sharing your method.
This is so good! I cut my califlower and started cooking my chicken and discovered my daughter had used all my flour making slime…I thought it was going to be a total disaster but it was delicious! I did add the noodles in the beginning and used 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock…topped with bacon and breadcrumbs for the last few minutes under the broiler, amazing!
LOL. I love your daughter. I used to make Slime all the time 🙂
Just made this for dinner. Was a big hit with the kiddos!
YAY!!!! Glad they loved it 🙂