Get the Recipe: Cauliflower Cheese
A classic! My version roasts the cauliflower first for extra flavour and less moisture. It's then combined with a creamy cheese sauce and baked to bubbly, golden goodness.
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large head cauliflower
- olive oil
- salt and Pepper
Cheese Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) butter, salted or unsalted
- 3-4 Tablespoons (45-60 g) all-purpose flour, *see Note 1 below
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk, at least 2% b.f.
- 1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream, 35% b.f. *see Note 2 below
- 2 cups (480 ml) aged cheddar cheese, freshly grated, well packed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch nutmeg, grated or powdered
- additional salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. (non-convection/ not fan-assisted)
- Prepare and roast the cauliflower: Remove the leaves and core from the cauliflower and break off the florets into large chunks. If you like, you can cut away most of the stalks and just use the florets or use the stalks and all. Cut the florets into equal-sized, bite-sized pieces, but not too small or they will overcook in the oven.
- Place the cauliflower in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Dump out onto a baking sheet and scatter into an even layer. Roast in the pre-heated oven for about 15-18 minutes or until just tender (test with a knife) and lightly golden in spots. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on at 400F.
- Tip! Always use freshly grated cheese for cheese sauces. Pre-shredded, bagged cheese has anti-caking agents added that can cause a grainy cheese sauce.
- Prepare the cheese sauce: Measure out your milk and cream in a 2-cup measuring cup and set aside. Grate your cheese and have it ready to use.
- In a large saucepan (you'll be adding the cauliflower to it later, so make sure it's big enough to hold it), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, or as long as you feel you can without it scorching. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium-low. Pour in a small amount of the cream/milk and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Add a bit more milk and whisk again until smooth. Add a bit more of the milk and whisk until smooth again. Add the remaining milk a bit at a time and whisk until smooth, until all the milk has been added. Cook sauce over medium-low heat, whisking regularly, until the sauce noticeably thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese to the pot all at once. Stir in the cheese with just 2 or 3 stirs, then let stand without stirring for about 2 minutes, then stir it all together. The cheese should have all melted into the sauce. If by chance it hasn't, you can return the pot to the burner over low heat to finish the melting. Add the nutmeg and stir in. Taste the sauce and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed. (I generally find I need to add another 1/4 teaspoon more salt.)
- Add the roasted cauliflower to the pot with the cheese sauce and stir to completely coat the cauliflower. Spoon the cauliflower cheese mixture into a baking dish large enough to hold it all. Place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet to catch any bubbling over.
- Place into the preheated 400F oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until it is bubbly and deep golden on top. If you'd like to brown it even more, switch the oven to broil for 1-2 minutes. Watch closely to avoid over-browning! Remove from the oven and let stand a few minutes before serving, to allow the sauce to set up.
- Refrigerate leftover cauliflower cheese tightly covered for 3-4 days. Yes, you can freeze cauliflower cheese either before or after baking. If freezing, use a freezer-to-oven container (foil or glass)and then bake from frozen. Allow additional oven time from frozen. Heat until bubbly and golden.
Notes
Note 1: If using heavy cream, you should be good with using 3 Tablespoons (45g) of flour. If using a lighter cream, whole milk or if you're using cream, but want a thicker sauce, go with the 4 Tablespoons (60g) of flour.
Note 2: Heavy whipping cream will produce the best results, but if you prefer, you could use a lighter cream, such as table cream (18% b.f) or half and half cream (10% b.f.) or even use all milk, for the lightest sauce. Adjust the added flour as detailed in Note 1 above accordingly.
Tips!
- Roast the cauliflower just until tender with just a few golden spots. Test it with a knife to be sure it's tender, then remove it. You don't want to roast all of the moisture out of it.
- When making the cheese sauce, add the milk/cream mixture in small increments (a scant 1/4 cup-ish at a time), to ensure a smooth sauce.
- Be sure to properly season your dish, starting with seasoning the cauliflower before roasting and ending with tasting and seasoning the cheese sauce at the end of cooking it on the stove-top, to really bring out the flavours.
- Turning off the heat under your pot (or removing it from the burner if you have an electric stovetop) immediately after adding the cheese helps to ensure a smooth and creamy sauce, as the cheese is allowed to melt slowly from the residual heat in the sauce.
- I've detailed some great Variations above this recipe card, if you'd like to change it up now and then.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 386kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Cholesterol: 116mg, Sodium: 333mg, Potassium: 126mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1271IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 349mg, Iron: 1mg
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