My easy to make Cauliflower Cheese recipe is one that I get asked for over and over again. I usually make it as part of a traditional roast dinner such as my Roast Pork Shoulder with crispy crackling, but it is equally delicious alone or as an accompaniment for a more simple dinner. For me Cauliflower Cheese is a childhood favourite and brings back fond memories of roast dinners at 1pm sharp as soon as Dad stepped in the door from work on a Sunday.
Cauliflower Cheese, with it’s rich creamy cheese sauce.
When I cook it I always make sure I make more than I need as I like left overs for the next day, which at times hasn’t happened as the family and guests fight for the remains. . . . . it’s that good!
When making the bechamel sauce, ensure that it is quite thick as the water content of the cauliflower will thin the sauce ever so slightly. This will make sure you end up with a cheese sauce that will stick to the cauliflower. You want to be able to see trails in the sauce from the whisk that do not disappear immediately.
Bechamel is flour based, which does not suit everyone. I do have an alternative for this. My Creamy Cauliflower Sauce, which is gluten free and although a little different in texture and flavour, makes an awesome alternative to bechamel in a lot of recipes.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we all do, please don’t forget to send me feedback in the comments! I love hearing from you guys!
Happy Cooking!
Cauliflower Cheese, with a rich creamy cheese sauce, a perfect accompaniment to a roast dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Cauliflower, broken into florets and steamed until just tender
- 100g Butter
- 100g Plain flour
- 750ml milk (a little more or less as required - different flours need a slightly different amount)
- 200-250g Grated Mature Cheddar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Steam Cauliflower and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Add the flour and cook on a low to medium heat, whisking constantly.
- Add the milk a little at a time, whisking each time until the contents of the pan is even and starting to boil each time.
- Don't panic if it becomes lumpy at first, it always does, keep whisking and adding the milk
- You should end up with a smooth creamy Bechamel sauce.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, remember cheese has a slightly salty flavour, so do not over salt.
- Add approx 3/4 of the grated cheese to the sauce and stir in until the cheese has melted.
- Taste the sauce, add more cheese if required, and more salt and pepper if needed.
- Arrange Cauliflower, floret side up like trees in a deep oven proof dish. The size of the dish should be so the florets sit snugly together.
- Pour over the sauce and scatter the remaining cheese evenly over the top.
- This will form the crispy cheese topping.
- Pop into a 180C electric fan oven or equivalent for approx 20/25 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
- You can make this dish in advance, up to the stage before the oven. Simply allow more time to cook in the oven if the dish has cooled.
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