RecipesSides

Easy Baked Cauliflower in Bechamel Sauce

by Micaela Harrasser

This gorgeous baked side is here to hug you. I am personally not a huge fan of cauliflower, even though I know it’s full of beneficial nutrients. It got me a long time to get used to its taste, and even today I have to heavily season it to be able to enjoy it! Yet, in wintertime your choice of seasonal veggies is not very broad, which means trying to make the most out of what we’ve got to not become bored of eating the same dishes over and over again.

This recipe was an all-time favorite of my mum’s – and honestly was the only way for me to eat cauliflower when I was young! You’ll too find out why… the key is by using loads of bechamel, which makes everything better! This recipe is super simple yet super delicious – I can’t wait for you to try it and let me know!!

[rating]

Easy Baked Cauliflower in Bechamel Sauce

Serves: 4 sides Prep Time: Cooking Time: Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

  • ½ head of a big cauliflower florets made small
  • For the bechamel sauce:
  • Roux: 30g butter and 30g flour (for vegan option, use vegan butter or margarine)
  • 200-400ml milk until desired consistency (unsweetened plant-based milk works as well)
  • Salt pepper and nutmeg to taste
  • Grated cheese ideally Parmigiano or grana Padano

Instructions

  1. First, rinse the cauliflower and divide the florets trying to keep them the same size (for even cooking) and preferably their shape too for presentation.
  2. Turn the oven grill on at medium/high setting.
  3. Cook the cauliflower until crunchy: either boil, steam or microwave them (microwave: I did 9min at max power).
  4. While they’re cooking, prep the bechamel sauce: in a small non-stick pan, add the butter and flour.
  5. Mix on a low heat to form a roux, and keep cooking for 3 min making sure it doesn’t stick nor burn.
  6. Now add the milk, small amounts at time and mix well with a whisk or wooden spoon to avoid lumps.
  7. Once it reaches the desired consistency (you do want the sauce pretty thick), turn the heat off and add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
  8. Place the cooked cauliflower on a baking tray/terrine trying to get an even layer covering the bottom.
  9. Spread the bechamel sauce on top, trying to cover all the cauliflower like shown here:

    10. Grate some cheese on top (vegan cheese for a vegan option), and place in the oven until it forms a golden crust on top. The cauliflowers covered in bechamel sauce are ready for you to indulge – responsibly if you can! 😀

Notes

You can use plant-based ingredients for a dairy free (and vegan) option. You can also use precooked leftover cauliflower (and broccoli!) to save time and/or use up leftovers.

Storage: you can keep refrigerated for up to two days in a sealed container.

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