Recipe of the Week/Thanksgiving Week 2:

So the turkey might steal the show, but the side dishes are what makes your Thanksgiving meal.

Macaroni and cheese appears to be a hot item at the Thanksgiving table, but then your cousin from Austin, TX arrives with her gluten free boyfriend and the holiday stress begins.

This tastes like Mac and cheese but instead of noodles, there's cauliflower (and lots of bacon).

Enjoy!

Stacy

Loaded Cauliflower Bake

Ingredients:

2 small heads of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups whole milk

2 oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, divided

salt and pepper

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 cup sliced green onions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large pot of salted water, blanch cauliflower, 3 minutes.  Drain well and pat cauliflower dry.

Make cheese sauce:  In a large skillet, melt butter.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add flour and stir until golden, about 3 minutes.  Add milk and bring to a low simmer, then add cream cheese whisking until combined.  remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheese until melted and then season with salt and pepper.

In a 9x13 dish, add cauliflower.  Pour over cheese sauce and stir until combined.  Stir in all but 1 teaspoon of bacon and green onions until combined, then top with remaining cheddar, bacon and onion.

Bake until cauliflower is tender and cheese is melty, about 30 minutes.