Four Cheese Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Skillet with Crispy Panko

A cast-iron skillet of cavatappi, tender cauliflower and four melted cheeses, finished with a crackling panko crust. Every spoonful pulls into long, molten strands, and the whole thing comes together in one pan with only a handful of steps. It is the kind of weeknight dinner that disappears from the table the moment the spoons come out.

Cauliflower mac and cheese is a clever way to stretch a classic into a fuller, more vegetable-forward dinner, and this skillet version keeps everything you love about the original. Tender florets, curly pasta and a thick four-cheese sauce are baked together until the edges bubble and turn golden.

A layer of toasted panko on top adds a crunchy contrast to the creamy interior. Because the whole dish is built and baked in a single cast-iron skillet, there is less to wash and the cheese stays hot from the first bite to the last. Serve it straight from the pan with fresh chives for color and a little sharpness.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The cauliflower is blanched briefly before it meets the sauce, so it turns tender without releasing much water. That keeps the cheese sauce thick and glossy instead of thin. Pasta cooked just short of tender also keeps its bite after it bakes, which is what gives the finished dish its texture.

Building the sauce with a simple flour and butter roux, then melting the cheeses in off the heat, gives a smooth emulsion.

Mixing four cheeses adds depth: the hard cheese brings savoriness, the cheddar brings sharpness and the mozzarella and Monterey Jack add the stretch that makes the pull so satisfying. Baking the whole skillet at a moderate heat sets the top gently while the panko browns.

Notes and substitutions

Use a 10-inch cast-iron skillet so the pasta and sauce fill the pan in an even layer. Cast iron holds heat well and gives the edges their golden, slightly crisp finish. An oven-safe skillet of another material will also work, but the crust may brown less evenly.

Grate the hard cheese on a box grater and shred the other cheeses yourself, since pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking starches that can make the sauce grainy.

For the pasta, cavatappi is the best choice because its curls trap the sauce, but cellentani, rotini or elbow macaroni work well too. Whole milk gives the richest sauce; 2% milk is a reasonable swap and will produce a slightly looser result.

Panko stays crisper than regular breadcrumbs, which is why it is the preferred topping. Toasting it in a dry pan for a few minutes before scattering it deepens its flavor and color.

• cavatappi pasta: cellentani, rotini or elbow macaroni
• whole milk: 2% milk, though the sauce will be slightly thinner
• panko breadcrumbs: plain dry breadcrumbs, though the crust will be less crisp

Equipment

• 10-inch cast-iron skillet
• large pot
• box grater
• chef's knife
• cutting board
• whisk
• wooden spoon