Cheesy Cauliflower Rotini

 I had this baby back on the old Mixing Bowl page & thought I'd better get it out here for y'all to enjoy.
I'm a big cauliflower fan.  I'm a bigger cheese fan.  So any dish that combines the two & adds in a carb I'm there.  This dish is rich and flavorful.  I also like it because it includes a veggie.  It's easy to make & requires simple ingredients.
Ingredients
1 small cauliflower head divided into florets
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
3 crushed garlic cloves
3 cups whole milk
1 cup shredded Asiago, Gruyere, or Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
freshly ground nutmeg
salt & pepper
4 cups uncooked tri-colored rotini
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil pasta until al dente (about half the time required for regular cooking), rinse under cool water & set aside.  Steam cauliflower florets until tender, but not mushy, about 4 minutes.  In a medium sauce pan melt butter & add in flour to create a rue.  Cook until bubbly & turns brown whisking constantly.  Meanwhile warm up milk in microwave until luk warm.  Add in garlic to the rue & stir for one minute.  Add warm milk to the rue & stir occasionally until milk becomes thick & frothy.  Add a dash of pepper & a dash of freshly ground nutmeg.  Next slowly add in the Asiago cheese & 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.  Add in small bits stirring in between to make sure cheese is fully incorporated.  Add salt to taste (Don't under salt!  I usually add around a teaspoon, but it depends on what kind of cheese you use).
Reserve a cup of the cheese sauce.  Add remaining cheese sauce to noodles & stir to coat.  Pour into a baking dish.  Arrange cauliflower florets on top.  Pour reserved cheese mixture over the tops of the cauliflower & sprinkle remaining Parmesan & a bit of pepper over the entire dish.
Bake for 30 minutes or until bubble & lightly brown on top.  Enjoy!

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