Baked Cauliflower Gratin is the most meta dish I have ever created, it’s literally cauliflower on cauliflower, but you wouldn’t know; because cauliflower is nothing if it’s not a complete culinary chameleon.
Cauliflower can be cake, it can be pancakes, it can be cream sauce, it can be roasted, steamed, fried, and all with much success; the cauliflower glow up has been real. This baked cauliflower gratin highlights all the best aspects of cauliflower- subtle sweetness and versatility.
In many cauliflower gratin recipes the cauliflower is thrown in raw and cooked with all the ingredients; and while this is fine, it doesn’t capitalize on the inherent flavour present in cauliflower. Baked cauliflower changes everything about this dish.
Cauliflower Gratin Cliff Notes…for the TLDR crowd.
- Buy 1 head of cauliflower and divide it in half.
- Cut ½ the head of cauliflower into medium sized florets and roast on high, rotating the roasting pan at the midway mark.
- Cut the remaining ½ head of cauliflower into small pieces, and combine with leeks and garlic in a pan with oil, cream and salt.
- Cook the cauliflower in the liquid until the cauliflower is falling apart.
- Cool, add parmesan and blend on high until the sauce is smooth and velvety.
- Layer the roasted cauliflower in a baking dish, and pour over the sauce.
- Grate fresh parmesan over top and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is ooey gooey.
- Garnish with crispy leeks (recipe found here)
And now, Baked Cauliflower Gratin…you’re welcome!
- 1 head cauliflower, divided in half
- 2 large leeks, white and light green part only
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup stock
- ⅓ cup cream (or any non dairy milk)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- Crispy leeks to garnish
Preheat oven to 425F.
Cut half the cauliflower into florets and toss with 1tbsp grapeseed oil and 1 tsp salt. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile in a pot on medium high heat, add the remaining grapeseed oil and sweat out the leeks and garlic; add the stock and cream, ensuring the cauliflower is just covered. Adding too much liquid adds the step of removing some of the liquid before blending. Cook until the cauliflower is breaking apart. Cook for 5 minutes, add ⅓ parmesan and blend on high until smooth.
Toss the roasted cauliflower with the sauce, and layer into a baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over top and bake for 10 minutes or until it’s bubbling and browning on the top.
To serve, garnish with crispy leeks.
A dish that feels bad, but is OH SO GOOD? Done.