Keto Bacon Cauliflower “Mac” ‘N’ Cheese

Mac n cheese is the ultimate comfort food, so lets turn this classic into a low carb keto friendly comfort meal that keeps all the flavour of the original.

Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients: serves 4

11 strips bacon

4 cups water

1 large head cauliflower

1 teaspoon salt, divided

4 oz / 115g cream cheese

1/3 cup / 80ml heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon paprika

2 cups / 200g grated cheddar cheese

Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

Method:

So to start, into a non stick pan over a medium to hight heat add in your bacon, now you want the bacon to get crispy but not totally dry out we still want some juiciness there. Keep mixing it around over that heat for several minutes or until the fat renders down and the bacon starts to foam a little.

While the bacon is cooking, into a pot with boiling salted water add in your cauliflower florets - now I know cauliflower gets over used in these low carb recipes but this is the best alternative to the pasta. Cook it until just tender, don’t over cook it otherwise it will become water logged, you can also steam them instead.

Remove the bacon from the pan and discard the grease, then chop up your crispy bacon into pieces and leave aside.

Now into a non stick pan over a medium heat add in your cream and then place in your cream cheese. Next add the grated cheddar cheese, I then hit it with some chilli flakes just to give it that extra kick, my Nanna would spice up her Mac and cheese so its just something I do too but its optional. I also add in some paprika too for some smokey flavour. Mix everything together well, the cream cheese will melt into the sauce as will the cheddar cheese.

Once the mix has melted down and thickened slightly, drain all the excess water off the cooked cauliflower and add it to the cheese sauce. Mix it together well, then add in the bacon pieces, and again mix everything well for 1-2 minutes.

To serve pile it high into bowls and as an optional extra just because I like the colour I’m sprinkling over some fresh parsley, and there you have it - a low carb keto version of Mac and cheese that is just amazing, thick and creamy and loaded cheese what more could you ask for?

Nutritional info: per serving

Calories 663

Fat 54g

Carbs 14g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 5g

Protein 34g