I am so excited to share this recipe with you!! If you like baked pasta you are in for a real treat! One head of baked cauliflower substitutes the pasta in this recipe without compromising the taste of a hearty baked pasta meal. Get this: If you use 1 head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds of cauliflower) this recipe is only 7 Weight Watcher FreeStyle smart points per serving. Switch out the cauliflower with 1 box of spaghetti (1 pound of spaghetti) it jumps to 13 WW FreeStyle smart points per serving! Seriously! You have to try this. It is so good.

Update 7/17/17…

If you use thin-sliced provolone and reduced-fat spaghetti sauce it brings this recipe down to just 5 Weight Watchers FreeStyle Smart Points per serving!! Swap out thin sliced provolone (like Sargento Ultra Thin) for the regular sliced provolone and try using a reduced-fat spaghetti sauce (like Prego Light Smart) instead of full fat spaghetti sauce. I think you will find that the taste is still very much the same. 

Use these two ingredients to bring one (3/4 cup) serving down to just 5 WW FreeStyle SP:

Prego Light Smart:

Sargento Ultra Thin Provolone Sliced Cheese:

MPM Smart Point Swap

Whether you are living a gluten-free lifestyle or are a Weight Watchers member carbs can be a killer. Looking for creative ways to swap out starchy foods is a smart move. In some recipes starchy potatoes, bread, and pasta can be swapped out with cauliflower and still create a similar taste as the carb-heavy version of the recipe. Weight Watchers helps us to understand this concept better by making it a math game.

That cauliflower is looking better and better, isn’t it?

If you are needing more reasons to jump on the cauliflower bandwagon here are just a few. . . Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6. It is a very good source of choline, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, phosphorus, and biotin. Additionally, it is a good source of vitamin B2, protein, vitamin B1, niacin, and magnesium. (nutrition info taken from whfoods.com. For more detailed information on why cauliflower is good for your body you can go here.)

Are you ready to give this recipe a try?

Here is what you need:

1 head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic (about 1-1/2 tsp. of jarred garlic)
2 cups of spaghetti sauce (If you are doing gluten-free you will want to make sure you use gluten-free sauce. Here is a list of gluten-free sauces if you aren’t sure.)
6 slices provolone cheese
1 pound 95% lean ground beef

Here is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Break up the cauliflower into cute little chunks.

Toss the cauliflower in olive oil and garlic. Spread out on a baking sheet or a RockCrok. Roast until golden and tender; about 25-30 minutes.

While the cauliflower is baking, break up ground beef with mix n’ chop and cook over medium heat until cooked through and no longer pink.

If using a cooking sheet transfer the cauliflower to a casserole baking dish. If using a RockCrok, leave the cauliflower in the RockCrok. Stir in ground beef.

Toss in spaghetti sauce.

Place provolone cheese slices on top. Bake in oven for about 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This recipe makes 7 (3/4 cup) servings for just 7 Weight Watcher smart points per serving.

Makes 7 servings.
One serving is 3/4 cup.
One serving is 5 Green, 5 Blue, and 5 Purple Points.