CHEESY GARLIC
CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN
This deliciously tasty and comfort food recipe is as good as your favorite mac and cheese, I think. No cream cheese in this recipe; some people may prefer that. Super simple and relatively quick to make and have on the table. The only thing that could possible make it better is sprinkling crispy bacon bits and chopped chives over the top of this casserole.
This recipe is for cauliflower lovers and even those who don't care for cauliflower will eat this casserole in my opinion. Try it! It will be a big hit at any dinner table and would make a great festive side dish during the Christmas season and, or course, Thanksgiving, which has now passed.
Note that cauliflower florets will cook faster than a whole cauliflower in the pot of boiling water.
You can add a little nutmeg to this recipe, if desired. This mixture is somewhat flexible and you can use the ingredients you have on hand.
To get the golden brown color on top, I had to broil the dish at the end. This cauliflower recipe uses a medium head cauliflower and puts it to good use in this cauliflower gratin recipe. You can use a large head of cauliflower instead.
Onions would be a good addition to this recipe and if you want to get fancy you could use gruyere or gouda cheese. Leftovers should be refrigerated. Microwave leftovers to heat.
This au gratin recipe is such a simple casserole dish that I will return to it from time to time, and especially when time is a factor and I still want a tasty side dish.
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium head of cauliflower
1 tbsp butter (15 mL)
1 tsp minced garlic (5 mL)
3/4
cup heavy cream (175 mL)
11/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (375 mL)
1 tsp salt (5 mL)
1/4
tsp black pepper (1 mL)
1/4
cup shredded Cheddar cheese (60 mL)
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Place cauliflower in boiling water and boil until
barely tender. Drain.
In nonstick saucepan, melt butter and add
garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add heavy cream and whisk gently. Stir in Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and black pepper.
Arrange cauliflower in a 1 qt (1 L) baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over all. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. If need be, broil a couple of minutes to
brown the top.
Yield: 6 servings
1
serving
249.3
calories
9.4
g protein
23.0
g fat
0.1 g fiber
1.8
g net carbs