Creamy Cauliflower Gratin Recipe With Two Kinds of Cheese
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You’re going to love this Creamy Cauliflower Gratin Recipe! It’s simple to make and so delicious. Cauliflower is steamed until tender, then mixed with a creamy sauce and cheese.
The vegetable gratin is baked until golden and bubbly. Serve it as a side dish with roast beef, or with a side of salad or roasted vegetables for a complete meal. Enjoy!
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Creamy Cauliflower Gratin Recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Winter is on the way, and it’s time to get cozy with a delicious and creamy cauliflower gratin recipe.
This dish is perfect for colder weather, and it will definitely satisfy your cheese cravings.
It not only makes a great side dish but also a tasty main dish for vegetarians.
You only need a few simple ingredients to make cauliflower gratin. So go ahead and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!
This vegetable side dish recipe is part of a full holiday menu that I’m sharing – which means you don’t have to go looking too far for a full meal to serve to family and friends!
You’ll find the whole menu below with the other recipes which include another side dish, an appetizer, a main dish, a dessert, and an alcoholic beverage.
Full Holiday Menu
- Baked Brie with Cranberries and Walnuts
- Creamed Spinach with Caramelized Onions
- Creamy Cauliflower Gratin <– you’re here
- Balsamic Roast Beef Tenderloin
- Whiskey Chocolate Cake
- Mulled White Wine
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. Staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., aren’t always included here as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ALL ingredients with measurements is found on the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Cauliflower, Flat-Leaf Parsley
- Dairy – Butter, Milk, Heavy Cream (Double Cream), Parmesan Cheese, Fontina Cheese. If you can’t source Fontina, Gruyère, provolone, Gouda, or Emmental are good alternatives to use.
- All-Purpose Flour – also known as Plain Flour
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, that you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.,).
What Is A Gratin?
Gratin is a cooking technique where an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, which is frequently made from breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg, or butter.
The term can refer to any dish prepared in this manner – you’ve probably heard of potato gratin which is the most common type, but you can also make gratins with pasta, seafood, and vegetables (like our cauliflower gratin!).
Gratin is typically made (and served) in an oven-proof shallow dish after being cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top. You can also bake gratin in the oven, which is the method in our recipe.
More Recipes Using Cauliflower
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is cauliflower, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Loaded Cauliflower Leek Soup Recipe – Can Be Served Hot or Chilled!
- Garlic and Chive Cauliflower Mash – A Low Carb Side Dish
- Roasted Apple Cauliflower Mash with Crispy Brussels Sprouts
More Side Dish Recipes
Looking for more sides to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables – An Easy, Delicious Side Dish
- 30-Minute Blackened Broccoli Recipe
- 6-Ingredient Honey-Roasted Curried Carrots Recipe
Recipe Tips
- Storing Leftovers: Cool (within 2 hours), transfer to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until piping hot throughout.
- Freezing Instructions: Not ideal, as the sauce can become watering upon defrosting and change the texture and appearance of the dish. However, it can be frozen if you really need to do so.
- Cool the cooked dish completely (within 2 hours) and wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil to help prevent freezer burn and keep out unwanted freezer smells. Place on a flat surface in the freezer. Or cool and transfer leftovers to an airtight, freezer-safe container and place in the freezer.
- Label with the name of the dish, thawing/reheating instructions, and the date to keep track of your food storage.
- cauliflower gratin will last in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To defrost the gratin, unwrap it completely and place it in the fridge to thaw overnight (or at least 12 hours).
- Reheat in the oven (or microwave) until piping hot throughout.
- With all leftovers, make sure the food looks and smells okay before eating.
How Do I Make Creamy Cauliflower Gratin?
The printable recipe card below has the full ingredients list and instructions. To save ink, any demonstration photos on the card do not print out.
Cauliflower Gratin
You're going to love this Creamy Cauliflower Gratin Recipe! It's simple to make and so delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream (double cream)
- 1½ cup fontina cheese, shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- ½ cup fresh Italian leaf parsley, chopped
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6 and grease a large casserole dish with olive oil.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Par-boil the cauliflower for 3 minutes. Drain and return to the warm pot to let the steam dry some of the moisture from the cauliflower. Gently pat dry to remove any remaining moisture.
- Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. This removes the raw taste from the flour.
- Slowly pour in the milk and heavy cream and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
- Turn off the heat and add fontina. Stir until the cheese is fully melted.
- Place the cauliflower florets in the prepared casserole dish.
- Pour the fontina béchamel all over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- Place in oven to bake 20 minutes or until nicely browned and bubbly on top. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 295Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 516mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 13g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Special Dinner!
I know there is a set meal at the top of this post, but here are some alternatives for you!
- Appetizer: Savory Cream Cheese Spread with Warm Cherry Sauce
- Soup: How To Make Gluten-Free French Onion Soup Recipe
- Salad: Classic Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing & Croutons
- Main Dish: Dinner Party Worthy Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables
- Beverage: Bourbon Apple Cider Maple Fizz Cocktail
- Dessert: Rich & Chocolatey Decadent Chocolate Layer Cake For Any Occasion
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.