Cauliflowers au gratin

Steam the cauliflower until tender for around 7 minutes. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F/160°C fan (or 180°C conventional) and grease a baking dish whilst the cauliflower is steamed.

Heat the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, and stir the chopped onion into the pan once the butter has melted. Allow to cook for 5 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the all-purpose flour, then gradually whisk the milk into the mixture, until you have a smooth, thick sauce.

Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in half of the Cheddar cheese until melted. Place the cauliflower into the baking dish and pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower. Sprinkle the remainder of the Cheddar cheese over the top and add the black pepper and nutmeg as desired.

Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Tips & tricks

The main tip for a successful cauliflower au gratin is to add the milk gradually. If you pour the milk in too quickly you will end up with a sauce that curdles, and it’s difficult to then rescue this. For the milk, whole milk is recommended for this recipe as you’ll create a much creamier dish. We’ve used Cheddar cheese in the recipe above as it tends to work well in sauces but you can use a mix of your favorite cheeses if you’d prefer to vary the flavor profile slightly. Other cheeses like parmesan or Swiss cheese would also create an inviting cheese sauce for this recipe. We’ve kept it simple in the recipe above with a dash of black pepper and nutmeg to garnish, but for more color and flavor fresh parsley leaves work well to finish the dish.

Au gratin basically means to cook dishes covered in cheese or breadcrumbs, and this technique can be used across a variety of recipes. As such, you could add a sprinkling of panko breadcrumbs to this recipe for added crunchy texture. Find all the au gratin recipe inspiration you need in our au gratin guide featuring everything from lobster au gratin to spinach au gratin.

For any leftover cauliflower, there are plenty of inventive ways to use up this tasty vegetable. Spicy roasted cauliflower packs tons of flavor into this ingredient and fried cauliflower with saffron is an elegant side dish for hosting friends and family at home.

How to serve it

Cauliflower au gratin is an irresistible side dish. Try making it for Thanksgiving and serving alongside your showstopper of a turkey. For a hearty midweek meal, you could make this dish the centerpiece and plate up alongside fresh, warm, crusty bread.

Storage

Leftover cauliflower au gratin can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. You can reheat the leftovers in an oven uncovered for 20 minutes, at 350°F/175°C.

Recipe variations

There are lots of different recipes for cauliflower au gratin, but one of the most popular variations is broccoli and cauliflower gratin. You can easily introduce this additional ingredient by halving the amount of cauliflower needed and adding half cauliflower and half broccoli to the dish. Some chefs will also roast the cauliflower first to enhance the flavor even further, and to add a little smokiness to the dish.