Cauliflower Cheese Bake (VG)
Cauliflower cheese really is one of my biggest childhood memories. This simple dish is not fancy, there’s not a whole lot of ingredients, and it feels VERY indulgent (even tho technically there’s no carbs in it)! But everytime I eat it, I am filled with joy and nostalgia, with memories of being in my Mom’s kitchen, trying to steal bits of chicken skin from the roast chicken that would always accompany a dish like this. If you have never tried it, I hope you give this recipe a go, it is true comfort food and totally delicious.
Notes
Cauliflower Cheese Bake – a few notes on the ingredients and what I like to serve it with!
Milk – I feel quite ill when I eat too much dairy (plus my asthma flares up).. especially milk. So when making this dish, I used oat milk (organic oats, with no added oils or gums of course). If you choose the non dairy route as I did, try to stick to oat milk or cashew – I find that almond or coconut is too sweet, and the flavors clash.. I learnt this the hard way.
Cheese – luckily, I can handle cheese better than I can milk, so when treating myself to some cheddar, I always go for McCalls Irish Cheddar. It’s grass fed (which is super important when considering any dairy/beef product), and super rich and delicious – I have linked it below. If you can’t get your hands on this cheddar, try to go with something similar, grass fed/organic, and on the lighter side. Sometimes, dyes are used to enhance the golden color of cheddar, and with less regulations on food dyes here in the in the US, rather not chance it.
Cheese Link: https://www.mccallsirish.com/12-month-grassfed-irish-cheddar
Vegan Options – if you’d like to keep this dish completely vegan, sub the butter for vegan butter (my favorite brand is Miyoko’s), non-dairy milk as mentioned above, and vegan cheddar cheese.
Pairings – for me, I always grew up eating this cauliflower cheese bake with a roast.. so pairing this with a roast chicken, some brussels sprouts, carrots, peas etc, is my suggestion. I don’t eat much beef, but I’m sure it’ll be just as good with that!
What You’ll Need
- 2 mediums cauli heads, large stem removed and broken into large florets
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour (1/4 cup)
- 1.5 cups milk (regular or non-dairy, see notes)
- 5 oz grass fed cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp smooth english mustard (optional)
- 1 tsp whole mustard (optional)
- salt
- pepper
Cauliflower Cheese Bake (VG)
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 5-6 1x
Description
Chopped and blanched cauliflower thrown into a large baking dish, covered in black pepper cheese sauce, topped with grated cheese and baked in the oven for a crispy roasted finish!
Ingredients
- 2 mediums cauli heads, large stem removed and broken into large florets
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour (1/4 cup)
- 1.5 cups milk (regular or non-dairy, see notes)
- 5 oz grass fed cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp smooth english mustard (optional)
- 1 tsp whole mustard (optional)
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and set your oven to 375 deg F.
- Wash the cauliflower thoroughly, prep, and place in the boiling water. Cook for 3–5 minutes, until the cauliflower is almost tender, but still quite firm. Tip into a strainer and set aside to drain.
- In a medium size pot, heat the butter on a medium heat until melted. Add the flour and vigorously whisk into into a paste, it’ll thicken very quickly. In small increments, start adding your milk, quickly stirring any lumps until smooth, before repeating the process. Once you’ve used about half the milk with this process, add the remainder and stir over a low to medium heat for another 4-5 minutes until it thickens. It’s important to not stop stirring otherwise you will get lumps (it’s a bit of a workout!).
- Add your mustard, a generous portion of salt and pepper, and half the grated cheese into the sauce and stir for a further 1-2 minutes, then turning off the heat.
- In a large oven proof baking dish, arrange the chunky cauliflower equally and carefully pour in the sauce, being careful to ensure all the cauliflower is covered. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 mins, until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Stovetop / Oven
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