Cauliflower Cheese Casserole

This simple Cauliflower Cheese Casserole recipe is an easy side dish perfect for entertaining. A quick and easy recipe to make, this simple cauliflower cheese casserole recipe is oozing with creamy cheese. Crunchy on top, smooth and creamy on the bottom! A great seasonal recipe!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword cauliflower casserole, cauliflower cheese, cauliflower cheese casserole, cauliflower recipe, cauliflower side dish

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 234kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower cut into florets
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoon plain all purpose flour
1 teaspoon seeded mustard
2 cups whole milk
½ cup shredded cheese add ¼ cup extra for topping
salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon paprika
2 green onions finely sliced for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place cauliflower florets in a steamer, and steam over high heat for 10 minutes, or until just soft (al dente).
To make the white cheese sauce - melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon, 1 minute. Add seeded mustard and fry the flour 3-4 minutes, until dough is starting to cook. Slowly add milk and whisk until thickened - about 10 minutes. Once thick, add cheese and whisk until cheese has melted.
Strain cauliflower and place in an ovenproof dish.
Pour over white sauce and very gently stir until cauliflower is coated in sauce.
Sprinkle over extra ¼ cup of cheese and ground paprika.
Bake 20 minutes on top rack, until sauce starts to go brown and cheese bubbles.
Serve with sliced green onions for garnish.

Notes

For the cheese sauce:

You'll want to cook your roux for a few minutes and use a wooden spoon to really combine the flour, mustard, and butter.
Slowly add the milk and whisk together. If lumps start to form, use your wooden spoon to gently squash them out.
Continuously stir the mixture, as the milk starts to heat, the sauce will start to thicken. You want this sauce relatively thick, but remember it does thicken out when you add the cheese.
This process usually takes about 5 minutes, over medium to high heat.

Nutrition