Cauliflower Cheese Bake
Easy to make and on the table in just 45 minutes, and that's with cooking the cauliflower.
What is Cauliflower Cheese?
Cauliflower cheese is a traditional British dish. You can serve cauliflower cheese as a main course, for lunch or dinner, but it's more usual to serve as a side dish.
Cauliflower cheese is made by pouring cheese sauce over the top and baking in an oven until golden and bubbling.
Recommended Equipment
- a suitably sized oven-proof baking dish
Recipe Top Tips
- Don't leave out the English mustard, it gives the sauce a slight tang. Start with ½ a teaspoon,, remember you can always add more.
- A wooden spoon is excellent for making sauces.
If you like this recipe, chances are you will love Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese and most definitely, Cauliflower Cheese Soup.
How to Make Cauliflower Cheese
Once your cauliflower has cooked, put it into a suitably sized dish.
Now make the sauce for your cauliflower cheese.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Cook whilst stirring for 3-4 minutes over low heat. if you don't cook the flour your sauce will taste floury.
While still on the heat, stir in the flour a little at a time. Keep stirring in between so you have a lovely smooth sauce.
Now stir in the cheese. Have a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
Continue to cook while stirring for another 5 minutes and you should have a lovely cheesy sauce.
Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle over a little smoked paprika if using.
Bake in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Serve straight away.
Can you Freeze Cauliflower Cheese?
Some say you can but I'd advise against it as in my opinion it will be mushy, watery and in a word, horrid!
Homemade Cauliflower Cheese
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Cauliflower Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower - leaves removed and cut into florets
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons plain flour (all-purpose)
- 250ml whole milk
- 1 teaspoon English mustard - or to your taste
- 80 g Extra matured cheddar (strong) - grated
- sea salt and black pepper - to taste
- Optional - smoked paprika for sprinkling over the top
Instructions
- Add cold, salted water to a large saucepan add the cauliflower - cook, until you can just insert a knife. It will take about 12-15 minutes, don't overcook or it will go mushy.
- Drain well and put the cauliflower into a suitably sized buttered oven-proof dish.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Cook whilst stirring for 3-4 minutes over low heat. if you don't cook the flour your sauce will taste floury.
- While still on the heat, stir in the flour a little at a time. Keep stirring in between so you have a lovely smooth sauce.
- Now stir in just two thirds the cheese, keeping some back for later.
- Have a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Continue to cook while stirring for another 5 minutes and you should have a lovely cheesy sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle over a little paprika if using.
- Bake in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Serve straight away.
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