Easy Cauliflower Cheese
Cauliflower cheese is a creamy, cheesy side dish featuring tender cauliflower baked in a rich cheese sauce, perfect for roast dinners or as a comforting vegetarian option.
Servings 4
Calories 455kcal
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Equipment
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower large or extra large, broken into florets
- 50 g Butter
- 50 g Plain Flour
- 550 ml Milk
- 200 g Extra Mature Cheddar grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 3 tablespoon Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°c (200° fan/ Gas 7).
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the florets for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.1 Cauliflower
- In another saucepan melt the butter then whisk in the flour to form a roux.50 g Butter, 50 g Plain Flour
- Pour in the milk and keep whisking over a medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken. This should take 2-3 minutes.550 ml Milk
- Take the white sauce off the heat and stir in the grated cheddar, Dijon mustard and smoked paprika.200 g Extra Mature Cheddar, 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard, ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Place the drained cauliflower florets into a baking dish and pour over the cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle over the Parmesan and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.3 tablespoon Parmesan
Notes
Top Tips:
- Use a whisk when making the cheese sauce to prevent any lumps from forming.
- Drain the cauliflower well after boiling it, to prevent it from releasing water into the cauliflower cheese when baked.
- Use an extra mature cheddar cheese for the cheese sauce for extra flavour.
- Don't skip the Dijon mustard and smoked paprika! They give the cauli cheese a wonderful flavour and colour!
- The recipe can be doubled to feed a crowd.
- Try using different cheeses! Blue cheese, and gruyere both work well.
- Make a healthy cauliflower cheese by using skimmed milk in the sauce and low fat cheese.
- Add crispy bacon pieces for cauliflower cheese with bacon.
- Garnish with chopped parsley for colour!
- Add half a teaspoon of marmite to the cheese sauce for extra umami flavour.
- Add 200g of cooked macaroni for cauliflower macaroni pasta bake.
Nutritional Information (Approximate)
Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 694mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 884IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 610mg | Iron: 2mg
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