Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese
Step 1.
Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Cut the cauliflower into large florets, then cut the stem into 2cm pieces. Tip onto a baking tray along with any nice, young leaves from the cauliflower. Drizzle with a little oil, season well with salt and pepper and put into the oven for 25 mins until beginning to char at the edges.
Step 2.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Once foaming, tip in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 mins until the colour has noticeably darkened and it is smelling toasty. Lower the heat to medium. Measure the milk and cream into a large jug, then pour in a little bit of it and whisk furiously. Keep repeating this process until you have a luscious, smooth sauce.
Step 3.
Coarsely grate the cheddar and gruyère and scatter ¾ of it into the sauce, spoon in the mustard and finely grate in the nutmeg. Stir together over a medium heat until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4.
Once the cauliflower has roasted, tip it into a high-sided baking dish where the florets sit relatively snugly in an even layer. Pour the sauce over the top, then scatter with the remaining cheese. At this stage, you could cover and chill for up to 24 hours before finishing.
Step 5.
Turn or heat the oven to 200°C fan. Pop the cauli cheese in the oven (we like to put it on a flat baking sheet to catch any drips) and bake for 20-25 mins or until golden and bubbling.
Step 6.
Finely chop the chives and scatter over for a final allium punch.
Step 1.
Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Cut the cauliflower into large florets, then cut the stem into 2cm pieces. Tip onto a baking tray along with any nice, young leaves from the cauliflower. Drizzle with a little oil, season well with salt and pepper and put into the oven for 25 mins until beginning to char at the edges.
Step 2.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Once foaming, tip in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 mins until the colour has noticeably darkened and it is smelling toasty. Lower the heat to medium. Measure the milk and cream into a large jug, then pour in a little bit of it and whisk furiously. Keep repeating this process until you have a luscious, smooth sauce.
Step 3.
Coarsely grate the cheddar and gruyère and scatter ¾ of it into the sauce, spoon in the mustard and finely grate in the nutmeg. Stir together over a medium heat until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4.
Once the cauliflower has roasted, tip it into a high-sided baking dish where the florets sit relatively snugly in an even layer. Pour the sauce over the top, then scatter with the remaining cheese. At this stage, you could cover and chill for up to 24 hours before finishing.
Step 5.
Turn or heat the oven to 200°C fan. Pop the cauli cheese in the oven (we like to put it on a flat baking sheet to catch any drips) and bake for 20-25 mins or until golden and bubbling.
Step 6.
Finely chop the chives and scatter over for a final allium punch.
Did you like this recipe?
Leave a note
Notes (1)
Hear from our customers
Mob Premium? It's like having a VIP pass to the coolest kitchen party online. Top chefs, killer recipes, and endless inspiration—all in one place.
Caitlin P
The most helpful recipe inspiration food-loving site to use day to day- often use recipes to cook for friends and they tell me how good it was- I don’t take the credit, credit is due to Mob!
Lucy P
Mob is the perfect source of inspiration for when I don’t know what to make – I can browse the site, pick something I like the look of, and have it on the table really easily.
Sonia M
Mob has a massive range of recipes that are guaranteed to hit every time. I can literally just pick something at random and know that it’ll be absolutely delicious.
Dylan F
Lots of recipes and great food content are uploaded all the time. Easy to make collections of recipe ideas. Really good search tool.
Georgia W
I would recommend Mob to my friends as it's an easy way to access fun recipes that suit every diet and lifestyle. They're recipes that you can 100% trust.
Reine F
Essential - health is wealth and life is too short to be eating boring meals.
Jazmyn C
Mob is my go-to when I don't know what to cook. The recipes are surprisingly simple and always get a great response. Thank you!
Tom W