While preparation for this takes some time, it is well worth the effort. For my father-in-law, I looked for this recipe for years. I finally came across the recipe that made him think of his grandmother’s Christmas cookies after numerous tries.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 6 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg, or to taste
Instructions
- Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add cauliflower, cover, and steam until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Heat butter in a small saucepan over low heat; cook and stir onion in the melted butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture just starts to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually pour milk into mixture, whisking into a smooth sauce. Cook until just simmering.
- Remove sauce from heat and stir in half the Cheddar cheese until melted; sprinkle with pepper and nutmeg.
- Place steamed cauliflower in the prepared baking dish; pour cheese sauce over cauliflower. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and browned, about 25 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 208 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 43 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 249 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Very particular items of note. Steaming for 5-7 is WAY over steaming given an additional 25 minutes at 350 F in an oven. Everything comes out as one giant mush casserole. Milk is about 1 to 2 oz too much for the amount of flour butter mixture. Easy enough to resolve with just a tiny bit more flour. When done from the oven using the “recommended” pinches of black pepper and nutmeg [to taste which is weird since you don’t know what it will taste like] it comes out as at best only as flavorful as the cheddar pretty much just without any flavor. Extra sharp cheddar might help, but add your own flavorings well beyond the recipe. Will I make it again for just me? Not likely.
Flavor was great, but very soupy or oily. Followed it to the letter.
Crowd pleaser dish. Yummy.
Use a combination of Swiss and White Sharp Cheddar and a teaspoon of mustard powder or to taste. Top with buttered breadcrumbs and broil last 2 minutes.
Hubby says four stars, I say five. I made as directed but next time I’ll left out the nutmeg. This is a keeper
Nice n easy. 2nd time I’ve used this. Turned out great! Tip – steam the cauliflower florets in the microwave. Faster n less hassle
Delicious! Like another reviewer, instead of nutmeg, I improvised with a smidge of mustard powder, A splash of Worcestershire sauce, and a shake of siracha sauce. I cut down on dishes to clean by setting aside the steamer basket of cooked cauliflower, then using the same pan to make the cheese sauce. Then I stirred the cauliflower into the sauce and served it without doing the oven step. It was eagerly received by my family.
Easy to make. Looks delicious.
This was very good. I added garlic powder and onion powder to the sauce because it needed something. A couple reviewers said it was runny, so do this. Drain the cauliflower in a colander and pat it dry with paper towels. Then make your sauce. Dump the cauliflower into the casserole dish and pat dry again with paper towels. Then porin your sauce. It was not runny at all. The next time I make this, I’ll only boil for 5 min, and bake for 15 min. It was a little too soft for our liking. Good recipe.
Made exactly as written, and for us this was good—not great. It just didn’t have as much flavor as I’d hoped for, even with all the cheese. The sauce cried out for salt and pepper, at the very least, which I will add next time.
Recipe is just perfect and I love how simple it is to follow xd
This recipe is very good. I finished it with a short spur of heat from the broiler for 3 minutes. The only change I did was adding salt as I used unsalted butter. I can confidently say that 1 tsp of salt should be good. If you add mustard, make sure to use a good Dijon one to give it that tiny kick! Will make it again.
Very good. After reading reviews, I added a bit of salt to the sauce and about 2 tsp of dijon mustard. I made it ahead of time as well. Taste the cheese sauce to make sure you are happy with it before putting on the cauliflower.
Made this tonight and ate almost half of it, making it my full meal! it was delicious. I’m not a fan of nutmeg but put a pinch in and loved the dish. This recipe is a keeper for me.
I followed some others’ suggestions and made these changes- I pan roasted the florets in olive oil instead of steaming. I added a clove of minced garlic with the onion. I also substituted the nutmeg for paprika and added a couple dashes of Tabasco into the milk. Next time I’ll add a bit of dijon too to see how I like it. I thought they turned out great! We had it with baked chicken and the sauce was great for dipping the chicken in.
The flavor is good, the nutmeg was a nice touch.
I took others recommendations and used an Italian blend of cheeses, and added real bacon bits and Dijon mustard. That amped the flavor to the next level. Delish!!!
very very good family loves it
Very good but needs some salt
Next time I make it, I’m going to add chillies.
I didn’t change a thing! My family and I loved it.