Cauliflower Cheese

Certain dishes will stand up to the test of time for an eternity. One of those must be a classic Cauliflower Cheese. A simple dish of perfectly cooked Cauliflower that is drenched in a warming and gooey Cheese mixture. Typically served as a side, this dish can seriously run the risk of becoming the star of the show on the dinner table! It’s a great dish to pair with proteins, particularly Steak, and is always a welcome addition to the dinner table

What makes a great Cauliflower Cheese?

While the dish hasn’t really ‘evolved’ over the decades as much as others, I think there is a lot more in mastering the craft of perfecting this dish than you may think. Typically, with dishes with such few components, there’s little room for error, as each element needs to be perfect on the plate

When you break it down there are really two independent cooking components of a Classic Cauliflower Cheese. That is, the Cheese, and the Cauliflower. Surprisingly there are loads of different ways you can prepare both elements, and each will have a very different result on the final flavor and texture of the dish

Roasting the Cauliflower achieves the best flavor and texture out of this Vegetable

We’ll start by looking at how to cook the Cauliflower. It’ll be the first element you prepare for this dish anyway, so it makes sense to start here. The old-school way to prepare Cauliflower for this dish was to simply boil it or steam it. Unfortunately, by cooking the Cauliflower in this method you lose all of its flavor. So, we don’t recommend either of these approaches

Instead, the best method for cooking Cauliflower is roasting it in the oven. By roasting the Cauliflower you can accentuate the wonderful earthy, slightly nutty natural flavors in this wonderful Vegetable

To begin, cut your Cauliflower into florets. There’s no need to be too fussy about each floret being the same size. In fact, I like having different sized pieces of Cauliflower as it will make for unique textures and doneness of the cooked Cauliflower. It just makes the dish more interesting. Scatter the Cauliflower over a large sheet pan lined with Foil

Seasoning the Cauliflower

It’s very important that you season the Cauliflower well at this stage. Cauliflower Cheese is a recipe that can take on a lot of seasoning and is best enjoyed this way. So, liberally douse the Cauliflower with Olive Oil and Salt and mix it all through so that the Cauliflower is well coated

Roast the Cauliflower in the oven at 400F for about 20 minutes. We recommend keeping an eye on the Cauliflower as it roasts, as the different sizes of the florets may cook slightly quicker or slower than the 20-minute mark

The Cauliflower will be done when you can see the outsides start to char and turn golden-brown. There’s no need to turn the Vegetable halfway through the cooking process either. They’ll cook through evenly without this step, which also makes roasting Cauliflower a very simple process when making the Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese

Making the luxurious, indulgent Cheese Sauce

With the Cauliflower cooked you can set it aside and divert your attention to the Cheese Sauce. In our opinion, the real hero of the dish, and what brings the dish its signature flavor and texture. The Cheese sauce is based off a classic Béchamel Sauce – the combination of Flour, Butter, and Milk that’s cooked in a pan until thick and smooth

We like to make our Cauliflower Cheese Béchamel Sauce a little thicker than usual, as we’ll be coating the Cauliflower in the Sauce instead of mixing it through. So, just use a little more Flour and a little less Milk

Once your Béchamel is done it’s time to add the Cheese. For our recipe we used three cheeses, a combination of Sharp Cheddar, American Cheese, and Mozzarella. The Mozzarella and American Cheese give the sauce its gooey, melty qualities. The Sharp Cheddar brings the flavor!

You can also add in some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese too. I find it adds a wonderful nuttiness to the sauce and works great in a Béchamel!

All that’s left to do now is serve! Simply fill up a serving bowl with Cauliflower and ladle over a generous amount of that gooey, amazing Cheese Sauce. The thickness of the Sauce will sit on top of the Cauliflower and begin to slowly melt down into the bowl

Complete the dish with some buttery and crispy toasted Panko Breadcrumbs

This is an optional final step, but I find it is what truly elevates our Cauliflower Cheese to a restaurant quality dish. Adding toasted Breadcrumbs to the top of the dish right before serving gives it a beautiful crunchy texture

The Panko Breadcrumbs are lightly toasted in a frying pan filled with melted Butter until they are golden-brown. The flavor they being (along with the texture) is a perfect topping for this amazing dish. Finish the whole thing with a pinch of Flaky Sea Salt and it’s ready to enjoy!

Cauliflower Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ Cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 ½ tbsp. All Purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 1 cup Whole Milk, slightly warmed
• ½ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
• ½ cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated
• 1 Slice of American Cheese
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Salt
  
  

Toasted Breadcrumb Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp. Unsalted Butter
• A Pinch of Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Scatter your Cauliflower Florets on a sheet pan and season well with Olive Oil and 1 tsp. of Salt. Mix through then roast in the Oven at 400F for 20 minutes until caramelized
2. While the Cauliflower is roasting, melt the Butter in a saucepan over medium heat then add the Flour. Stir continuously for 2 – 3 minutes, allowing the Flour to cook then slowly pour in the Milk
3. Continue stirring, removing any lumps until a thick sauce forms. You may need to add a little more Milk if required. Season with ½ tsp. of Salt and then add the Cheeses
4. Mix through well to melt the Cheese and form a smooth consistency. Taste for seasoning
5. Plate the Cauliflower into serving bowls and pour over a generous helping of the Cheese Sauce and serve
   
   

Toasted Breadcrumb Ingredients

6. Melt the Butter in a small saucepan over medium heat then add the Panko Breadcrumbs. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring continuously, until the Breadcrumbs turn golden brown
7. Season with Salt and then garnish the Cauliflower Cheese with a generous amount of Breadcrumbs
   
   

Recipe Notes

• The Panko Breadcrumbs are optional, but we highly recommend adding them for a beautiful flavor and texture
• You can prepare the Cauliflower in advance and simply re-heat it before serving. The Cheese sauce is best served immediately once cooked
  
  

This simple, yet amazing recipe for a Classic Cauliflower Cheese is a fantastic showcase of how classic dishes are just as tasty today as they were in their heyday. This dish is a fantastic way to showcase the flavors of Cauliflower, and is a perfect side to serve with your favorite Steak

For more fun and tasty side dishes such as this one, check out some of these other great recipes:

• Celery Root Puree
• Miso Roast Broccoli
• Roast Shallots with Chicken Stock
• Sumac and Honey Roast Carrots
  
  

Happy Cooking!