Still looking for a last minute Thanksgiving side to put on your table? We have the perfect solution for you. Serve up this cauliflower gratin with gruyere cheese…yes, there will be a gruyere party going on in your mouth. Who can resist that? Clearly not us!
Start by roasting up the cauliflower so it’s nice and golden brown and ready to be mixed with one of our all time favorite cheeses. I love this cheese and always have but for some reason my mouth just won’t let me say it right. Courtney and I had some laughs as she tried to coach me on how to pronounce it, but I really think there is no hope for me on that. At least I can still eat it, which is the only thing I really care about when it comes to gruyere.
While the cauliflower is getting all roasty and toasty in the oven you can focus on whipping up the cheese sauce. We have cut out a lot of fat by using fat free milk and only a small amount of butter. So you can look at this dish the same way that I look at buying clothes when they are on sale. I don’t really spend money on clothes, I actually save money because the clothes are on sale. Same thing with this dish, you are actually saving fat and calories because you aren’t using full fat milk and tons of butter and cheese. How do you like my concept?? Haha, I think it’s a good one, so basically it’s guilt free!
When the cauliflower comes out of the oven, transfer it to a casserole dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle some panko bread crumbs on top and pop it back in the oven. When it comes out of the oven you will have this ooey goey, gruyere filled cauliflower heaven.
Thanksgiving side dish done, your guests will love this!
- 1 head cauliflower - chopped into florets
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp course ground pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1¼ C nonfat milk
- 1 C grated gruyere cheese
- 3 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Spread cauliflower florets evenly on pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Roast for 25 minutes until golden brown.
- While cauliflower is roasting heat a large sautee pan over medium heat and add butter. Once butter is melted add shallots and sautee for 1 minute. Add flour and mix, it will create a thick paste. Slowly add the milk ¼ cup at a time, whisking to incorporate. Once all of the milk is added add remaining salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if you want a little kick to the dish. Continue to whisk over medium heat until it thickens, do not let the milk boil. Add gyurere cheese and stir until melted, remove from heat.
- Remove cauliflower from oven and turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Use a 8X8 casserole dish or similar size, add roasted cauliflower and pour cheese sauce over the top. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly across the top. Bake for 20 minutes until it begins to bubble around the sides. Turn the oven to broil, remove when the cheese and panko topping turns golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Leave a Reply