The roasted cauliflower and aged white cheddar soup has been on my mind a lot lately and when it came time to think about side dishes for my Thanksgiving dinner one of the first ideas that came to mind was to convert the soup into a side dish. It seemed only natural that the side dish would take the form of a gratin and a roasted cauliflower and aged white cheddar gratin was sounding really good! Although steamed cauliflower would work in a gratin, I wanted the extra flavour that roasting adds even if it meant more oven time! I kept the gratin really simple with a base of an easy bechamel sauce that the aged white cheddar is melted into before being poured over the roasted cauliflower. Once the cauliflower has been roasted the aged white cheddar bechamel sauce has been made, all that need to be done it to mix them, top them with panko bread crumbs and then bake them until golden brown.
Tip: Make sure to brown the butter and then cook the flour in the butter until it starts to brown to get more flavour in the bechamel sauce and ensure that there is no flour-y taste.
Alternatives
Bacon: Smoky bacon or even pancetta would be a great addition and for the daring, replacing the butter in the bechamel sauce with bacon grease would add even more smoky, bacon-y goodness!
Mushrooms: Sautéed mushrooms or dried porcini mushrooms would also be amazing in this gratin!
Bacon and Mushroom: Combine all three to make something even more decadently delicious!
Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Gratin
Tender roasted cauliflower in an aged white cheddar sauce that’s baked until golden brown and bubbling with a crispy panko breadcrumb topping.
ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour (rice flour for gluten-free)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup aged white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (gluten-free for gluten-free)
directions
- Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper and arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
- Roast the cauliflower in a preheated 400F/200C oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, mix in the flour and let cook until it just starts to brown a little.
- Mix in the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cheese and heat until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens.
- Mix cauliflower into the sauce, pour into a baking dish and top with the bread crumbs.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until it’s bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 15-20 minutes.
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Anonymous says
The soup is FANTASTIC!!! I have made it three times in the past two weeks. This looks amazing as well. I will have to make it this weekend.
Rachael {Simply Fresh Cooking} says
Oh goodness… this looks way to good, Kevin! Great idea converting it to a casserole. This will definitely make a great Thanksgiving side! 🙂
Alice Choi says
Wow! This looks sooooo good! Thanks for sharing!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This sounds unreal! Love the aged cheddar!!
ahu says
this looks beautiful…perfect fall recipe.
Russell at Chasing Delicious says
This dish looks incredible! I go crazy for all things cauliflower and this looks like the perfect combination of flavors!
Loretta E. says
This looks tremendous and is probably a great way to serve up large amounts of cauliflower!
Anonymous says
This looks so good. What do you think about adding mushrooms?
MJ says
This looks heavenly….super combination….cheddar would add the perfect flavoring to the cauliflower!!
Joanne says
You definitely chose the perfect cheesy creamy side dish!
Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) says
Dude. This is so killing me good right now.
Kevin says
Anonymous: Mushrooms would make a wonderful addition! I was thinking about either adding sautéed mushrooms or dried porcini mushrooms but one of my guests did not like mushrooms so I went without.
Sharon says
Oh, Kevin, you always post the most delicious looking and sounding recipes on the internet!
Pam says
Oh Kevin… this one seriously has me drooling. Amazing!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
What a delicious cauliflower recipe!
Rocky Mountain Woman says
I could pretty much eat that whole casserole…
Cara says
That combination sounds heavenly! And with mushrooms and bacon, yes please!
Anonymous says
This looks lovely, a good twist on cauliflower cheese. I've never had roasted cauliflower before, it could be time to try it!
Allison Day says
This looks crazy good. Happy Thanksgiving! ^_^
We Are Not Martha says
This has been bookmarked! My husband isn't a fan of cauliflower, but maybe this could change his mind. How could anything with aged white cheddar not be good? And it's beautiful, too!
Sues
snausages22 says
Made the cauliflower casserole. It was awesome!
Thanks, Kevin!!!
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen says
Gorgeous! I have a very similar roasted cauliflower gratin recipe, I also top mine with panko. Sometimes I add a touch of cayenne for heat. It's one of my favorite comfort foods.
The Food Hound says
I've been dying to make another roasted cauliflower dish, and I LOVE cauliflower and cheddar! Not sure I can wait till Thanksgiving to make this 🙂
Analee says
made this and added mushrooms and bits. also topped it with more shredded aged white cheddar. it was awesome! thanks so much for sharing!
Laura says
I may have found my first Thanksgiving side!
Lucy says
Yummylicious! next time i will make the soup 🙂
Kevin says
Analee: The mushrooms would be an excellent addition! I am glad that you enjoyed it!
HollyLlama says
This is absolutely amazing! Made it the first time in mid-October and it was so yummy, I knew I would be making it again for Thanksgiving. I made a larger batch, since I was serving ten people and I'm certainly glad I did…because it disappeared. Almost everyone said it was their favorite side!
Anonymous says
I added leftover ham and called it dinner. Delicious. Thanks!
Anonymous says
That's a great idea!
Kim says
I made the soup last night and we loved it! Can't wait to try the gratin.
Jodee Weiland says
This recipe looks great! I love cauliflower with cheese, but this recipe takes it over the top…love it!
Staci says
Kevin, would it be okay to use skim milk? (my mother in law is trying to watch her diet) I've made the soup and loved it…I really want to make this next! 😀
kevin says
Staci: Yes, skim milk will work! I am glad that you enjoyed the soup!
Anonymous says
Can I make this in advance? I'd like to make it Tuesday or Wednesday (prefer Tuesday) to serve Thursday — but will it get too mushy?
kevin says
Anonymous: I have not tried making it a day ahead. It might be best to roast the cauliflower and make the sauce and then just assemble and bake on Thursday.
Emily Rainbow Delicious says
I'm obsessed with roasted cauliflower lately and this just looks great! I featured it in a recent cauliflower recipe round-up on my blog, thanks!
Micki says
Kevin, I made this yesterday along with a leg of lamb, roasted broccoli and Assyrian rice. I had never made a bechemel sauce before. It was so easy and this came out just fabulous. I added mushrooms which I roasted along with the cauliflower…just delicious. Thank you very much for this recipe. It will definitely be a great side to put on rotation.