Cauliflower Au Gratin
Posted: 10/14/20
Updated: 11/21/22
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This cauliflower au gratin is super rich and ultra cheesy. It’ll become a family favorite in no time! Perfect for the holidays, the cauliflower is roasted for a delicious side dish that’s all creamy and not watery!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This cauliflower au gratin is made of cauliflower smothered in tons of cheesy goodness and topped with rich, buttery breadcrumbs. It’s the perfect side dish for holidays or if you just want a new way to get your kids to eat veggies!
- With an easy first step to help remove moisture, the cauliflower in this recipe isn’t soggy or mushy, making the texture of this au gratin absolutely perfect.
- A couple easy swaps make this recipe gluten free, so it’s great if you’re serving it to guests or family members who are sensitive to gluten.
Chef’s Tips
- To make this cauliflower au gratin gluten free, swap the breadcrumbs for gluten free ones and the flour for gluten free all-purpose flour.
- You can use any type of shredded cheese for this recipe, but I absolutely love shredded cheddar. Gruyere is also a good option, as is swiss or white cheddar.
- Use fresh cauliflower instead of frozen. Frozen will make your cauliflower au gratin way too watery.
More Holiday Side Dishes
- Gluten-Free Stuffing
- Whole30 Green Bean Casserole (Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Asparagus Casserole
- Whole30 Crockpot Mashed Potatoes (Vegan)
- Instant Pot Whole30 Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Rosemary (Paleo, No Sugar)
- Ham Gravy
Cauliflower au Gratin
This cauliflower au gratin is super rich and ultra cheesy. It'll become a family favorite in no time! Perfect for the holidays, the cauliflower is roasted for a delicious side dish that's all creamy and not watery!
Ingredients
- 8 cups cauliflower florets about 2 medium heads or 1 large, about 2 pounds in total
- salt
- 1 small onion chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ stick, divided
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups hot milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 cups shredded cheese like Gruyere or cheddar
- ¼ cup parmesan freshly grated
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F and grease a 9×9-inch or 2 quart baking dish. Place cauliflower on baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add onion and stir until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add flour to saucepan and cook while stirring constantly until mixture just starts to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually pour milk into mixture, whisking into a smooth sauce. Stir in salt and lots of pepper. Cook until just simmering. Remove sauce from heat and stir in half the shredded Gruyere or cheddar cheese until it melts.
- Place steamed cauliflower in the prepared baking dish and pour cheese sauce over.
- Sprinkle cauliflower and cheese sauce with remaining Gruyere or cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan, if desired. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and stir together with breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt.
- Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle parmesan over with cheese after cooking and serve.
Notes
- Gluten free: Use gluten free breadcrumbs and gluten free all-purpose flour.
- Shredded cheese: We prefer cheddar, but Gruyere, swiss, and white cheddar are also good options.
- Cauliflower notes: Use fresh cauliflower instead of frozen. Frozen will make your cauliflower au gratin way too watery.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 267kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 599mg, Potassium: 427mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 575IU, Vitamin C: 49mg, Calcium: 281mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 12g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Excellent, my daughter needs to be gluten-free so I substituted the flour for white rice flour. I also used gluten-free bread crumbs and added diced bacon.
Can you sub almond or other milks for regular milk in this recipe?
Hi Karen! Yes, you can sub almond or other milks! I’d recommend you use an unsweetened milk alternative, like soy or oat milk, so there’s less of a flavor difference.