Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Gluten Free
Vegetarian

Why we love it:

My grandmother has described this dish to me for years; her mother used it make it in the 30s and 40s! Recently, whole heads of cauliflower have been having their once-in-a-century moment again - but I haven’t seen many people cloaking it in cheese sauce - which frankly just seems smart. I hope you try this one.

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Ingredients

1 head Cauliflower
2 cups Heavy Cream (or half & half)
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder (divided)
¹⁄₂ teaspoon Dry Mustard
¹⁄₂ teaspoon Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt (divided)
4 ounces Mozzarella (shredded)
4 ounces Cheddar Cheese
Crusty Bread (a loaf)
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (divided)
2 cups Frozen Peas
4 cups Spring Mix Salad Greens
4 teaspoons Salad Dressing (vinaigrette, or olive oil + balsamic vinegar)

Cooking Instructions

1. CAULIFLOWER PART 1

Trim the bottom stem end off the cauliflower and remove any overgrown, browned, yellow or wilted leaves; tender green ones can stay. Place in a large pot with a lid, and add 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Steam/boil for 20 minutes.
2. SAUCE

Meanwhile, bring the cream to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan - keep your eye on it as it will overflow if it boils too hard. Once simmering, add the garlic, dry mustard, black pepper and about a ½ teaspoon of salt. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cheese in small batches. Whisk until it’s smooth. Set aside.
3. PREHEAT OVEN TO BROIL
4. CAULIFLOWER PART 2

Carefully lift the cauliflower out of the pot and the water and place it on a lined baking sheet or casserole dish. Place in the preheating oven for 2 - 3 minutes to help dry out the water. Then remove it. Season with a good pinch of salt and spoon ½ of the cheese sauce over top and return to the broiler for 3 - 5 minutes. Slide out once more, coat with the remaining cheese sauce and return to the broiler until it’s golden browned all over; you might need to rotate a few times.
5. BREAD

Slice slabs of bread and spread with most of the butter (reserve about a teaspoon). Evenly top with garlic powder, a pinch of salt, and place on a baking sheet. Add to the broiler and cook until golden brown.
6. PEAS

Heat the remaining butter in a sauté pan and add the peas. Add a pinch of salt. Sauté for 4 minutes or until bright green and hot throughout.
7. SALAD

Toss the greens with the vinaigrette.
8. SERVING

I love to serve this family style - move the whole cauliflower onto a platter, scraping up any extra cheese sauce to go with! Surround with salad, bread and peas. Slice the cauliflower into 4 quarters to serve.

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Substitutions

GLUTEN FREE:

serve GF garlic bread or omit that part
DAIRY FREE:

you can definitely coat the cauliflower with store bought cashew or non-dairy cheese spread. It might be a little bit thicker but will taste wonderful! Or use coconut milk simmered with a bit of curry powder, and once it reduces by half it will be thick. Use this to spoon over the cauliflower and top with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast
DRY MUSTARD:

this spice is potent and can easily take over, just use a little and if you don’t have it, you can substitute a teeny amount of regular mustard (about ¼ teaspoon or less) or just omit it
CHEESES:

any melting cheese blend is ok here. Start with what you have - provolone, havarti, jack, parmesan, chevre, cream cheese, etc.
PEAS:

serve with a green of your choice or just the salad
KIDS CORNER:

boil some pasta to serve with the cheese sauce and pieces of cauliflower for a more “familiar” presentation. Or serve a wedge of cauliflower with sauce on the side for dipping. Choose a green vegetable that will be accepted

Prep Ahead & Use It Up

Boil the cauliflower ahead. Store, well covered so it doesn’t dry out, for up to 2 days, then coat with sauce and roast.
Make vinaigrette if making your own