A béchamel sauce base cooks up quickly and easily to transform a head of cauliflower into a bubbly, browned, baked, cheese side dish. The whole wheat panko browned and crispy on top gives the whole casserole a fun, crunchy topping.
My family loves a good veg casserole. It’s a great way to familiarize young people to the textures and tastes of cooked vegetables. I serve this with any number of main dishes. It was wonderful with a roasted chicken tonight.
Cauliflower Cheddar Casserole
A béchamel sauce base cooks up quickly and easily to transform a head of cauliflower into a bubbly, browned, baked, cheese side dish. The whole wheat panko browned and crispy on top gives the whole casserole a fun, crunchy topping.
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh cauliflower chopped into bitesize pieces
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 cups whole milk – warmed warm in microwave to speed up the cooking process
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or more, to taste
- 3 cups grated cheddar cheese for sauce
- 1 cup grated cheddar for layering and topping
- 2/3 cup panko I like whole wheat panko for this recipe
- olive oil in a spray bottle
- a little fresh parsley for garnish/presentation
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on medium heat and add the flour. Stir until you get a paste. Add the warmed milk, one cup at a time and stir to combine with a whisk.
- When the sauce base is smooth and has just started to bubble, turn down the heat to low and add the seasonings. Stir well.
- Add the grated cheddar cheese and stir while it melts.
- Pour a spoon of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Arrange a little of the chopped cauliflower over the sauce. Put sauce over the layer of cauliflower and sprinkle a layer of grated cheese over the sauce. Continue to layer as such until you run out of cauliflower. Pour sauce over the last layer of cauliflower.
- Bake, uncovered, in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes.
- Top the casserole with 2/3 cup panko, a little more cheese and spray with olive oil. Bake, uncovered for 15 more minutes. Top with a little fresh parsley for presentation.
Video
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
