Baked Cauliflower

Submitted by Kathleen Constance

"This recipe caught my eye when it was posted in our local newspaper. We love cauliflower, but get bored with the usual "steamed with plastic cheese sauce" version I usually make out of laziness! This is delicious and easy to make. Also, we actually ate the leftovers the next day - unheard of with our usual version! (Note...I used more cheese than the recipe called for, just because we love cheese.)"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄4 lb old cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan cheese

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the sides and bottom of a 9" square baking dish (you may have to use a larger dish if your cauliflower was huge) with the butter.
2. Clean and separate the cauliflower into bite-size florets. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a bit of salt. Toss in the cauliflower and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes, depending on how small you cut the cauliflower. Drain well, cool in very cold water, and then drain well again.
3. Place the milk, flour, paprika, cayenne, and nutmeg in a small pot and whisk to combine. Set over medium heat and bring to gentle simmer, whisking frequently. When the sauce has thickened, whisk in the cheddar cheese and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
4. Arrange the cauliflower in the buttered baking dish and pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with the fresh parmesan cheese.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Test the cauliflower to see if it is done to your liking. If not, bake 5 to 10 minutes longer. Once done, remove the foil and bake a further 10 minutes. or until golden and bubbly.

Reviews

[donnie27]

I made this dish this evening.....and I think I may have done the recipe an injustice. I only had about a half head of cauliflower but I did make the entire amount of sauce and it was just a bit too much. My problem was that I don't think there was enough flour to make the base of the sauce thick. It was a too thin, I added the cheese, and a little more too, but it still turned out too thin. I finally added another T. of flour and it did thicken enough. I baked the dish for about 25 min. and we really enjoyed it. I know if I had used a whole head of cauliflower, the sauce would have been the right amount. I did cover the dish for 15 min,. but finished it uncovered and it was perfect. As a side note, I cooked my cauliflower in the microwave with a bit of water(covered) for about 5 min. and then cooled it off by rinsing in cold water. Thanks for posting this, it is a recipe everyone would like, even the kiddies ! Donna

 

[*Parsley*]

Wonderful cauliflower! The cheese blend was delicious. The cayenne gave just a hint of heat, but nothing overwhelming. I made this exactly as written and wouldn't change a thing. Thanx for posting!

 

[Elly in Canada]

I followed the recipe for cooking the cauliflower and the sauce, except I omitted the nutmeg (DD does not like it).I like the little bite of the cayenne in the sauce. I sprinkled some buttered dry breadcrumbs over top along with the parmesan. I did not cover the casserole, simply baked it until bubbly and golden. Yummy!