Cauliflower Cheese
This Cauliflower Cheese is a delicious British classic, often enjoyed as a main dish or side, featuring roasted cauliflower smothered in a creamy cheese sauce.
Equipment
- oven
- large tray
- large saucepan
- Baking dish
- microwave
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 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Cheese sauce (Mornay sauce)
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 3.5 tablespoon plain flour (all-purpose)
- 1 cup milk (full fat best)
- 1 cup cream (or more milk)
- ½ teaspoon cooking salt (kosher salt)
- ¼ teaspoon 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 in).
- 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 use freshly grated cheese rather than pre-shredded.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 20gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 876mgPotassium: 758mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1580IUVitamin C: 97mgCalcium: 495mgIron: 2mg
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