Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
Pasta shells filled with spinach and ricotta beneath a tomato sauce.
About 55 min · 540 kcal · 30 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Cauliflower cheese with white beans and mustard
Cauliflower under a mustard cheese sauce, with white beans baked through it.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 21 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm 25 g of flour in 300 ml of milk gives a coating sauce
- Confirm florets are tender in 6 to 7 minutes
- Photograph the finished dish
- Time
- About 45 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 535 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 32 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains gluten, milk, mustard. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- cheddar. Some cheddar is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
- Dijon mustard. Many Dijon mustards also declare sulphites; check the label.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan). Break the cauliflower into florets and steam or boil them for 6 to 7 minutes, until a knife just enters. Drain very well.
Whisk the flour into the cold milk in a saucepan until there are no lumps at all. Only then put it over medium heat.
Bring it to a simmer, whisking constantly, and cook for 2 minutes once it has thickened.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mustard and three quarters of the grated cheddar.
Fold the cauliflower and the drained beans into the sauce, tip into an ovenproof dish, scatter the remaining cheese over and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until bubbling and browned at the edges.
The useful detail
Whisk the flour into cold milk instead of making a roux. There is no fat to burn, no lumps to chase, and the sauce carries the cheddar just as well with a fraction of the calories.
Make it work for you
One serving is Half the dish. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Vegetarian hard cheese instead of cheddar
Drier and saltier, so use a little less. Much cheddar is made with animal rennet, so check the label if that matters to you.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about 5 g more protein, about 3 g less fat.
Broccoli instead of cauliflower
Firmer and greener; it needs 2 minutes less in the water.
Per serving: about 25 kcal more, about 3 g more protein, about the same fat.
Butter beans instead of white beans
Larger and creamier, and they break more readily into the sauce.
Per serving: about the same energy, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A version of a dish that is usually a side, made into a dinner by the beans, and made lighter by a sauce with no fat in it beyond the cheese.
| Energy | 535 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 32 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
| of which saturates | 10 g |
| Carbohydrate | 65 g |
| of which sugars | 14 g |
| Fibre | 14 g |
| Sodium | 990 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cauliflower | 600 g | FDC 169986Cauliflower, raw | 150 kcal | 11.5 g |
| milk | 310 g | FDC 171267Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D | 155 kcal | 10.2 g |
| plain flour | 25 g | FDC 169761Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, unenriched | 91 kcal | 2.6 g |
| cheddar | 80 g | FDC 173414Cheese, cheddar (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | 322 kcal | 18.3 g |
| Dijon mustard | 10 g | FDC 2710085Mustard | 7 kcal | 0.4 g |
| white beans | 300 g | FDC 175204Beans, white, mature seeds, canned | 342 kcal | 21.8 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 1067 kcal | 64.8 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. It sets firm in the fridge and cuts into squares.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian