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A close-up view of a pie with a golden-brown, cheese-topped crust, featuring irregular, slightly charred spots. It sits on a wooden table, giving a rustic impression.

Cauliflower Cheese (Make Ahead and Freezable)

Lauren
This Roasted Cauliflower Cheese is a proper game changer! Roasting the cauliflower instead of boiling helps prevent that dreaded watery cauliflower cheese, while bringing out its natural sweetness and nutty flavour. It's the perfect accompaniment to a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner. Even better, it can be prepared ahead and frozen until needed!
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine British
Servings 8 people
Calories 424 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg cauliflower 2 whole cauliflower (approx)
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 90 g salted butter
  • 80 g plain flour
  • 5 cloves ensure you remove before adding cheese to sauce and baking in oven
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 700 ml whole milk⁣
  • 260 g extra mature cheddar cheese⁣
  • 1 teaspoon mustard optional
  • 50 g parmesan

Instructions
 

  • Pre heat oven to 180C fan⁣ / 200C conventional / 400F or Gas Mark 6
  • Break up 1 kg cauliflower into florets and place in lined baking tray with 4 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • Roast raw cauliflower in the oven for 30 minutes (top of florets should look slightly toasted and golden whilst retaining some firmness)
  • Melt 90 g salted butter in pot and add ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg and 5 cloves
  • Add 80 g plain flour and mix to make a roux (see process step by step above for photos)
  • Cook for approx 1 minute on medium heat to remove the floury taste from the roux, stir to combine
  • Start adding 700 ml whole milk⁣, a little at a time, whilst whisking to start to thicken the sauce ⁣
  • Once all the milk has been added and you have a white sauce, remove the whole cloves and add 260 g extra mature cheddar cheese⁣ ⁣(grated) and optional 1 teaspoon mustard
  • Add roasted cauliflower to cheese sauce, mix through and transfer into oven proof dish for baking (or freezer safe oven-proof dish). Sprinkle 50 g parmesan on top. See Notes.
  • Pre-heat oven to 200C fan⁣ / 220C conventional / 400F or Gas Mark 6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes then serve when piping hot.

Notes

This freezable cauliflower cheese can be prepared ahead of time and either:
  • Refrigerated (3 days)
  • Frozen (up to 6 weeks)
Then follows a secondary roasting time element at 200C, varying from:
  • warm/room temperature - 30 minutes (i.e. cooked straight away)
  • refrigerated - 40 - 50 minutes
  • frozen - 50-60 minutes

Nutrition

Calories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 16gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 759mgPotassium: 556mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 803IUVitamin C: 60mgCalcium: 448mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Cauliflower Cheese, freezable cauliflower cheese, Oven Roasted Cauliflower, the best cauliflower cheese recipe
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