Cauliflower Pea and Edamame Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

8 ounces (2-Cups) whole-wheat macaroni

2 cups chopped raw cauliflower florets, about ½ head

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed

2 ¾ cups low-fat milk, divided

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch

¼ teaspoon granulated garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

8 ounces shredded Sharp Cheddar such as Cabot Vermont Sharp

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat

1 teaspoon organic canola oil or avocado oil

½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Coat an 2 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
When water boils, cook pasta 1 minute less than time according to package instructions. In last 2 minutes of cooking time, add cauliflower, peas and edamame to cooking liquid. Drain thoroughly (the pasta and vegetables will continue cooking in the sauce in step 4.)
Meanwhile, heat 2 ¼ cups milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not simmering. Whisk the remaining ½ cup milk, flour, Dijon, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder and white pepper in a small bowl. Whisk the flour mixture into the steaming milk, and continue heating, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cheddar and chives. Stir until melted and smooth.
Stir pasta and cauliflower into cheese sauce. Transfer the pasta to the prepared dish (it will seem very loose.) Mix breadcrumbs, oil paprika and the pinch salt in a small dish. Top macaroni with the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to the oven and bake until bubbling and the breadcrumb topping is golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Let sit about 10 minutes to cool before serving.

Notes

Total time includes 10 minutes of cooling time.