Creamy Cauliflower Au Gratin Recipe
Who says carnivores have all the fun on Thanksgiving?! (everyone knows the sides are where it’s at!)
Since it’s day five of The Bonus Space 7 days of Thanksgiving recipe countdown, I think it’s time for more cheese! (Yes, I have posted several cheesy recipes already, but if I had it my way I would put cheese on everything!)
This creamy cauliflower au gratin recipe is one of my all-time favorite recipes! The rich gruyere cheese sauce smells and tastes incredible! (my mouth is watering just thinking about it!)
So, if you’re celebrating a veggies-only holiday, this cauliflower au gratin recipe makes a great vegetarian side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! (Truth be told, it’s my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. period.)
Moms– If you have picky eaters at home, this delicious cauliflower au gratin is sure to win them over.
My brother and I were particularly picky eaters when we were kids. So, my mom would make this creamy cauliflower au gratin recipe for us all the time. Probably because it was easy to trick us into eating vegetables that were drenched in a delicious cheese sauce! (great call mom!)
Time to get cheesy! Enjoy!
Creamy Cauliflower Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower separated into individual flowerets
- 3 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/4 cup milk
- 1 pinch nutmeg to taste
- 1-1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (approximately 4oz)
- 1 tbsp salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Bring large pot of salted water with ¼ cup milk to a boil.
- Trim base of cauliflower, removing leaves and central core.
- Leave cauliflower whole, or break into individual flowerets (recommended).
- Cook cauliflower in salted milk water until tender (approximately 10 minutes).
- Reserve ½ cup cauliflower cooking liquid before draining well and rinsing under cold water to shock.
- Arrange cauliflower head or flowerets in a heatproof dish.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow mixture to color and burn.
- Stir in 1 cup milk and ½ cup reserved cooking liquid.
- Season to taste with salt and nutmeg.
- Reduce heat to low, and add 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese (reserving ¼ cup to top). Stir to combine and continue stirring on low heat until melted and sauce has thickened considerably.
- Pour sauce over cauliflower, and sprinkle with ¼ cup reserved cheese on top.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes at 450F or until top cheese starts to brown.
- Serve Immediately, and Enjoy!
The Bonus Cookbook
For those who are interested to see how I made this creamy cauliflower au gratin recipe, here’s some bonus info and a few extra photos to help you out!
This recipe is a little more involved than other recipes that I’ve posted in the past. However the only real “tricky” part of this dish is making the cheese sauce, other than that it should be smooth sailing!
Here’s what you’ll need to make this velvety side dish:
Ingredients:
- 1 medium head cauliflower, separated into individual heads
- 3 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 + ¼ cup milk
- a scant pinch nutmeg
- 1 + ¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese (approximately 4oz)
- 1 tbsp salt
Start by preheating your oven to 450F.
Bring a large pot of salted water with ¼ cup milk to a boil. Adding milk to the water will make the cauliflower extra creamy, and adds flavor to the gruyere sauce!
Trim the base of the cauliflower head by removing the leaves and central core.
You can leave the cauliflower as a whole head, or break it down into individual flowerets. I personally prefer breaking the cauliflower into individual flowerets. This makes it easier to evenly coat the cauliflower with the rich creamy sauce.
Cook the cauliflower in the salted milk water (I know… it doesn’t sound very appealing when put it in those terms) for approximately 10 minutes, or until the flowerets are tender.
Reserve ½ cup of the cauliflower cooking liquid, drain the cauliflower and rinse under cold water to shock the flowerets.
Arrange the cauliflower head or flowerets in a heatproof dish.
If you decide to keep the cauliflower as a full head, place it inside a baking dish to create a cauliflower “dome”.
Melt three tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan, over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly.
Note: Do NOT allow the mixture to color and burn! This is the trickiest part of this recipe. It will be the longest three minutes of your life, but keep stirring the entire time. The process of cooking butter and flower together like this creates a thickening agent for your sauce.
After cooking the butter and flower for three minutes, stir in 1 cup milk and ½ cup reserved cooking liquid.
Season the sauce to taste with salt and nutmeg. Don’t go overboard with the nutmeg or it will overpower the entire dish, a dash or two is enough.
Reduce the heat to low, and add 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese. (reserving ¼ cup for the top of the dish)
Stir the sauce to combine. Continue to stir on low heat until cheese is fully melted and the sauce has thickened considerably.
Pour the creamy gruyere cheese sauce over the cauliflower, and sprinkle with ¼ cup reserved gruyere cheese on top.
Try to cover the cauliflower as evenly as possible with the sauce. You may need to use a baking spatula to smooth it out.
If you are making the cauliflower as a full head, pour the sauce over the top of the cauliflower dome, and allow it to trickle down the sides.
Bake the cauliflower au gratin for 10-15 minutes at 450F, until the top layer of cheese starts to brown.
Serve immediately with your favorite dishes, and Enjoy!
Cheers!
-M
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