This is one of those vegetable dishes that can be incredible or dreadful and it’s a thin line between the two. At its best, cauliflower cheese is cheesy, rich and comforting - the ultimate low-carb comfort food. At its worst, it’s watery with a lumpy or tasteless sauce and is the bane of children everywhere.
The first key to good cauliflower cheese is to steam it so that it isn’t soaking up water while it cooks. It may still need to be drained, but will definitely be less watery than if it was boiled. The second key is a smooth, rich cheese sauce made with sharp cheese and a bit of strong English or Irish mustard to brighten it up. Colman’s English Mustard is the most widely available and it’s what I used here. If you can’t find it, Dijon-type mustard is acceptable. Although any sharp white cheddar will work, Kerrygold’s Dubliner cheese is exceptional in this dish. It has a nutty flavor missing from some other cheddar-type cheeses.
You can make this a one dish complete meal for meat lovers by baking diced ham into it. Unless you are using leftovers from a ham you roasted, cook the ham first to get any water out of it as well!
The first key to good cauliflower cheese is to steam it so that it isn’t soaking up water while it cooks. It may still need to be drained, but will definitely be less watery than if it was boiled. The second key is a smooth, rich cheese sauce made with sharp cheese and a bit of strong English or Irish mustard to brighten it up. Colman’s English Mustard is the most widely available and it’s what I used here. If you can’t find it, Dijon-type mustard is acceptable. Although any sharp white cheddar will work, Kerrygold’s Dubliner cheese is exceptional in this dish. It has a nutty flavor missing from some other cheddar-type cheeses.
You can make this a one dish complete meal for meat lovers by baking diced ham into it. Unless you are using leftovers from a ham you roasted, cook the ham first to get any water out of it as well!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 15 minutes |
|
|
|
|
This is one of those vegetable dishes that can be incredible or dreadful and it’s a thin line between the two. At its best, cauliflower cheese is cheesy, rich and comforting - the ultimate low-carb comfort food. At its worst, it’s watery with a lumpy or tasteless sauce and is the bane of children everywhere.
The first key to good cauliflower cheese is to steam it so that it isn’t soaking up water while it cooks. It may still need to be drained, but will definitely be less watery than if it was boiled. The second key is a smooth, rich cheese sauce made with sharp cheese and a bit of strong English or Irish mustard to brighten it up. Colman’s English Mustard is the most widely available and it’s what I used here. If you can’t find it, Dijon-type mustard is acceptable. Although any sharp white cheddar will work, Kerrygold’s Dubliner cheese is exceptional in this dish. It has a nutty flavor missing from some other cheddar-type cheeses. You can make this a one dish complete meal for meat lovers by baking diced ham into it. Unless you are using leftovers from a ham you roasted, cook the ham first to get any water out of it as well!
|
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower broken into florets, or 2 10-ounce packages fresh steamable cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cups ½whole milk
- 10 ounces sharp white cheddar grated
- 2 teaspoons strong English or Irish mustard
- Salt and ground white pepper to taste
Servings:
Units:
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375.
- Steam the cauliflower, on the stove or in the microwave. Follow microwave directions for “steam in bag” cauliflower. Steam on the stovetop for 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well.
- While the cauliflower cooks, melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and cook over low heat for 3 minutes to cook off the floury taste. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Simmer sauce until it thickens, about 3 minutes.
- Add the grated cheese, one handful at a time, reserving two handfuls for the baking dish. You want about 8 ounces in the sauce and 2 for the dish. Stir well after each addition of cheese to keep the sauce smooth. Stir in mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Butter a shallow baking dish, 9 x 9 or 11 x 7 inches in size. Arrange cooked cauliflower in the dish and pour the cheese sauce over all of it. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake 15 minutes, or until browned and bubbly!
Share this Recipe
