I can tell you from my experience that this cauliflower gratin is a winner with its creamy cheese sauce and crispy outer layer. Due to its delicious cheese sauce made with grated gruyere cheese, butter, garlic, and milk, this dish is worthy of being served on your holiday table and is a good side dish to go with any meal.
On special occasions such as holiday dinners, au gratin is without a doubt one of the most popular dishes you will find at the dinner table. In contrast to the traditional version of this dish, which uses potatoes, I prefer to make it my own by using other vegetables.
The cauliflower gratin is truly one of the best holiday recipes you will ever eat, as tender cauliflower is tossed in a rich gruyere cheese sauce, followed by a layer of more cheese, followed by crispy breadcrumbs, to make one of the most delicious and satisfying dishes of the season. In spite of the fact that the au gratin is delicious and festive, at the same time, it is lighter and lower in carbs than a traditional au gratin, making it a perfect choice for the holiday season.
It is also very easy to prepare this dish ahead of time! The recipe is simple, just follow the steps up to the point where you need to add the Panko bread crumbs topping, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The cauliflower should be removed from the refrigerator while the oven is preheating to 375 degrees and sprinkled with Panko bread crumbs just before the cauliflower is baked.
Scrumptious Baked Cauliflower With Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into bite-size florets
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 c. warm milk
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1-1/2 c. gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place cauliflower florets onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle cauliflower with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Gently toss to combine.
- Oven roast prepared cauliflower in 425-degree oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove roasted cauliflower from oven and transfer to a medium baking dish.
- Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F.
- For white sauce, in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter, then add flour and combine.
- Add milk to flour-butter mixture in saucepan and cook over low-medium heat until thoroughly heated.
- Add nutmeg and 1 c. of the gruyere cheese to the heated white sauce.
- Simmer white sauce until it has thickened and is bubbly.
- Pour white sauce over roasted cauliflower in baking dish and gently stir to combine.
- Top with remaining shredded gruyere cheese, then with the Panko bread crumbs.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in 375-degree F oven.
- Serve warm.