1 bottle of IPA (I like [url:1]Founder's All Day IPA)[/url but hoppy gluten free beers work also]
4 - 12 oz low fat cream cheese (See note)
8 oz smoked Gouda or smoked mozzarella
5 oz Parmesan cheese (block, not pre-shredded)
2 oz cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. cornstarch
hot sauce
salt and pepper
13 oz whole wheat pasta shells or gluten free
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the top off of the heads of garlic, so that the individual cloves of garlic are exposed. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and wrap each head in aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, until the cloves are soft and slightly brown. Let cool until they're not too hot to touch. Garlic can be oven roasted in advance.
Bring a pot of water to boil and add the cauliflower. Boil until fall apart tender and then drain.
Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to package instructions.
In a food processor or blender, add the cauliflower, half of the bottle of beer, cornstarch, and cream cheese. Carefully squeeze the heads of garlic to force the individual cloves out and into the cauliflower mix, avoiding any papery skin from the cauliflower. Blend until smooth. Then add the remaining cheese and beer, blending until the cheese is broken into pieces (cheese does not need to be smooth, just broken up).
Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a sauce pan. Heat, stirring often, until the cheese is melted, adding salt and pepper to taste and a few shakes of hot sauce -- I never make mine spicy, but a little adds another layer of flavor.
Toss the pasta and cheese sauce together.
Spritz a 9" x 13" casserole dish with nonstick spray and adjust the oven down to 350 degrees F. Pour the pasta into the casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes, until hot and bubbly
Notes
Increase the cream cheese for a creamier sauce. I used 4 oz in the photos. Use gluten free beer (the hoppier the better) and gluten free pasta for an overall gluten free dish. Make sure you puree the cauliflower until smooth before adding the cheese/rest of the beer. It's the best way to get it thoroughly smooth and creamy. Some people react poorly to "hiding" cauliflower like this -- but I find that it helps provide body to the sauce without using heavy cream or a butter/flour thickener. If you know anyone who throws that kind of hissy fit, don't treat them to this delicious meal ;-)