Tricolore penne and cauliflower cheese with hazelnuts
Karen Burns-Booth offers the best of both worlds in this pasta and cauliflower cheese recipe. Using mezze penne tricolore adds vibrancy to this often beige dish, which is given a little crunch with some toasted hazelnuts.
Ingredients
Cauliflower cheese with mezze penne tricolore and hazelnuts
- 250g of mezze penne tricolore
- 1 small cauliflower , broken into small florets
- 50g of hazelnuts , roughly chopped
- 1 handful of parsley , chopped
Cheese sauce
- 50g of butter
- 50g of plain flour
- 600ml of milk, warmed in a pan
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 250g of cheddar , extra mature
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
1
To begin, cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 8–10 minutes, adding the cauliflower florets for the last 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and cauliflower and set to one side in a large bowl
2
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and butter a large ovenproof dish
3
To make the cheese sauce, make a roux by melting the butter in a pan then stirring in the flour. Stir over a low heat for a few minutes, then gradually whisk in the warmed milk
4
Keep whisking until you have a silky, thick sauce. Stir in three quarters of the cheese and mustard, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper
5
Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked pasta and cauliflower and mix well. Spoon it into the prepared ovenproof dish and scatter the remaining cheese over the top
6
Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until it is golden brown and bubbling, adding the chopped hazelnuts over the top for the last 3–4 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with seasonal green salad and crusty bread
Discover more:
Go to Comments
Tricolore penne and cauliflower cheese with hazelnuts
