Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake

This Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake combines two of my favourite things, cauliflower cheese and pasta. The perfect family meal.

I came up with this Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake idea when I was thinking about how I could bulk up a cauliflower cheese. Pasta bakes are such popular recipes on my website so I thought I would try out mixing in some cauliflower. This is such an easy mid week meal that your whole family will love.

This dish is super simple to make first of all you cook the cauliflower and pasta in one large pot of boiling water. You can use any type of tortellini or ravioli for this recipe, I like to use whichever is on sale at the supermarket in one of my favourite flavours. To make this recipe even faster I use premade store bought white cheese sauce, in this case I have used Alfredo but Carbonara will work just as well. You could make the cheese sauce from scratch if you have time, I'm sure it would make this recipe even more delicious. 

Once the tortellini and the cauliflower is cooked, drain the water and set aside. Then put the pot back onto the element on low. Add the Alfredo sauce, sour cream, paprika and half of the cheese then stir it all to combine, I like to add a grate of fresh nutmeg to give it extra flavour. If you want to up the green factor, stir in some spinach leaves until wilted. Pour the pasta and cauliflower back in and combine with the sauce. 

Add everything to a large baking dish and scatter over cheese, parmesan and a sprinkle of paprika. Grill the dish in a hot oven until golden and bubbling, then serve immediately.

I really do love a pasta bake. It turns out my readers do too! Some of the most popular recipes on my website include my Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake, Easy Bacon Pasta Bake and my delicious Tuna and Ricotta Baked Pasta Shells.

Common questions about Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake:

Is this meal kid friendly? Our kids love this meal! All they see is pasta and cheese (yum!) but I know they're also getting some good veggies into their diet.

Can this meal be frozen? This meal is perfect for freezing. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost, then cook to piping hot before serving.

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Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake

Yield: 6 serves

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Cauliflower and tortellini cooked in a creamy sauce, topped with cheese and baked until golden.

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Ingredients

• ½ head of cauliflower, chopped
• 300g pack fresh tortellini
• 325g tub alfredo pasta sauce
• 125g sour cream
• 2 tsp paprika
• 100g cheese, grated
• ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated (optional)
• ½ bag of baby spinach leaves
• 50g parmesan, finely grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C fan grill.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add cauliflower. Cook for 3 minutes, add tortellini and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Drain and set aside.
3. Put pot back onto a low heat and add alfredo sauce, sour cream, 1 teaspoon of paprika and half the grated cheese, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper then grate in fresh nutmeg and stir again. 
4. Add cauliflower and tortellini to the sauce and mix, scatter in spinach leaves then stir until spinach wilts. 
5. Spray an oven dish with cooking spray and pour in cauliflower mix, spread to edges. 
6. Sprinkle over remaining paprika, cheese and parmesan. Grill until golden and serve immediately.

Notes

• Tortellini could be swapped for ravioli
• Alfredo sauce could be swapped for carbonara sauce or even homemade white sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 467Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 696mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 19g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.