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Cauliflower Cheese

Cauliflower Cheese

Cauliflower Cheese is a delicious British classic often enjoyed as a side dish, featuring roasted cauliflower in a rich cheese sauce.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine British, Western
Servings 6 servings
Calories 604 kcal

Equipment

  • Oven
  • baking dish
  • pan

Ingredients
  

Roasted cauliflower

  • 1 kg cauliflower florets 1 very large, 1 ½ medium or 2 small cauliflower heads
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ⅛ tsp pepper

Cheese sauce (Mornay sauce)

  • 60 g unsalted butter
  • 3.5 tablespoon plain flour optional all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk full fat best
  • 1 cup cream or more milk
  • ½ tsp cooking salt kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg powder freshly grated is best
  • 1 cup Red Leicester cheese or cheddar, grated
  • ½ cup gruyère cheese or other melting cheese of choice, grated

Topping

  • ½ cup Red Leicester cheese or cheddar, grated
  • ½ cup gruyère cheese or other melting cheese of choice, grated

Instructions
 

Roasted cauliflower

  • Preheat oven to 220°C / 430°F (200°C fan).
  • Toss cauliflower in oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a large tray.
  • Roast for 20 minutes (don't turn). Cauliflower should still be a bit firm, but with some colour on them. Remove from oven.
  • Turn oven down to 180°C/350°F.

Cheese sauce (Mornay sauce)

  • Heat milk and cream until hot – either on the stove or in microwave.
  • Melt butter in a large saucepan or small pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring regularly, for 3 minutes.
  • While stirring, pour in half the milk. Once the roux is dissolved into the milk (mixture will thicken), stir in remaining milk. Stir on the heat for 1 minute – mixture should be thick enough to coat a wooden spoon.
  • Turn the stove off, but leave the pot on the turned off stove. Stir in salt, nutmeg, and both cheeses. The cheese will thicken the mixture so it's like a thick sauce.
  • Add cauliflower and toss to coat in the sauce.

Bake

  • Transfer mixture to a 2L / 2qt baking dish (30 x 20 x 5cm / 12 x 8 x 2").
  • Sprinkle over gruyère followed by Red Leicester cheese.
  • Bake at 180°C/350°F for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted, and cauliflower is bubbly and golden.
  • Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Stand for 5 minutes then serve!

Notes

Best to grate your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded to avoid anti-caking agents that can affect the sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 20gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 876mgPotassium: 758mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1580IUVitamin C: 97mgCalcium: 495mgIron: 2mg
Keyword cauliflower bake, cauliflower cheese, Cauliflower Gratin
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