Hold your horses guys - this Cheesy and Crispy Cauliflower Gratin is coming through and officially going on the Thanksgiving day menu!
I've done a handful of cauliflower recipes in the past that have graced my Thanksgiving table and they've always been amazing but I never thought they were worthy of Thanksgiving. THAT ENDS TODAY FRIENDS. This Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin is the perfect addition to your spread. A few reasons why:
- 1: this is made in 1 pot! Brilliant + less dishes
- It's basically like a mac and cheese but without the pasta. Don't get me wrong - I live for a mac and cheese on my Thanksgiving table, but some people are anti. This is an excellent sub
- There is brie! So if you buy a lot of brie for cheese boards in the coming weeks, save some for this!
So do yourself a favorite - add this to your agenda and you will NOT be disappointed!
If you liked this Cauliflower Gratin then here are a few more fall themed cauliflower ideas:
- Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta
- Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
PS – are you thinking of putting this on your Thanksgiving menu? Check out the full What’s Gaby Cooking menu here along with the master prep schedule to keep things organized and on track!
And if you need more Thanksgiving Ideas check out this roundup of 80+ Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas
Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme, plus more to finish
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 ounces unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 ounces brie, rind removed
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2-3 pounds cauliflower, cut into florets
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a medium oven proof saucepan, simmer the milk, bay leaves, thyme and garlic over medium heat for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and remove the bay leaves and thyme with tongs.
- In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking until evenly incorporated and starting to thicken. Add chunks of the brie and nutmeg, and continue stirring until the brie is melted. Carefully nestle in the cauliflower florets and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper, transfer the entire pan into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. After 20 minutes, top with the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, place back into the oven and continue baking until bubbly and the cauliflower is tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
- 1: this is made in 1 pot! Brilliant + less dishes
- It's basically like a mac and cheese but without the pasta. Don't get me wrong - I live for a mac and cheese on my Thanksgiving table, but some people are anti. This is an excellent sub
- There is brie! So if you buy a lot of brie for cheese boards in the coming weeks, save some for this!
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
Ignore my question! I was reading the recipe in the car and misread the directions!
Question - step 1 says simmer the milk but step 2 says add the milk to the roux. Do we split up the milk, leaving some to add to the roux?
you're pouring in the simmered and infused milk to the roux!
Awesome, can we prep ahead and add Panko and bake on Turkey day? Many thanks for always helping us Gaby!!
shouldn't be an issue!! go for it!
Could you use dried nutmeg in the spice container if you dont have fresh nutmeg?
sure can!
I made this recipe last night. It is delicious! Will be making this again, my hubby and I loved this so much.
The only change was I substituted with fresh mozzarella, this is what I had in my fridge. Gaby, I've made several of your recipes and they are all so good! Thank you!
This was delicious, easy, and I will definitely make it again! I think the oven-proof saucepan isn’t necessary in the first step, since the milk mixture actually goes into the second pan’s roux.
Can you make this in advance to bring somewhere? Does it reheat well?
yes you totally could!
Is the mixture supposed to be silky smooth before adding the cauliflower? Mine really isn’t, I added a little more milk to loosen it.
silky smooth - no. But smooth-ish
Can this be made with almond milk instead of whole milk?
never tried it but I would assume it would work - just make sure it's unsweetened and unflavored
Sounds delicious! Is there anything we could use in place of the flour to make it low carb/keto friendly?
I havent tested it with a replacement!
I don't think I can wait for Thanksgiving for this one......
Looks great. But how is it 1 pot?
Wondering how leftovers reheat -- thinking about trying it out for Sunday dinner with roast chicken, and taking leftovers to the office for work lunches.
really well actually!
Can the brie be substituted? And if so - what do you recommend?
sure can - any other great meltable cheese
Nice change for holiday entertaining! We love butternut squash and was wondering how I could add cubed butternut squash to this dish? Or, not recommended?!?! Thanks for sharing great recipes in a simplistic way!!
totally can!! Just add cubed squash same time you add cauliflower and then bake