Cauliflower Gratin

With just a handful of ingredients, we've taken the mighty cauliflower and transformed it into a cheesy, decadent bubbly dinner recipe. Enjoy this cauliflower gratin with a hot bowl of our vegetarian French onion soup or a healthy bowl of ratatouille for a French-inspired dinner night.

Inspired by our mom's Pasta au gratin a.k.a. Baked Mac and Cheese, an amazing, super cheesy pasta dish she used to make for us as kids, we came up with this lower-calorie version of the traditional cauliflower grating, by making a few recipe swaps.

A Healthier Cauliflower Gratin

• Consider our cauliflower gratig the healthier cousin of a baked mac and cheese. By using cauliflower instead of pasta, the dish becomes lower in calories and carbohydrates, and higher in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber
• By swapping the whole milk and butter in traditional bechamel sauce for unsweetened almond milk and olive oil, we made this cauliflower dish lower in calories and colesterol. All without sacrificing flavor, hello nutritional yeast!
• Every cauliflower au gratin recipe includes cheese, it's a must! Here you have a choice use regular cheese or vegan cheese. The stronger the flavor of the cheese you choose, the less you will have to use to acheive a flavorful dish. .
• We've transformed a traditionally heavy dish that is usually served as a side dish into a lighter, feel-good, flavorul, satisfying dinner recipe that will make it easy for you to stick to your healthy eating resolutions... all year long!

How to Make Vegan Cauliflower Gratin

First, we oven-roasted the cauliflower. While the cauliflower is cooking we made a bechamel sauce on the stovetop and added cheese. Then we combined the cauliflower and bechamel sauce in a baking dish and baked it with a crumb topping to create this delicious, comforting, and cheesy dish.

Ingredients for the Cauliflower Gratin Recipe

• Cauliflower: If you can't find fresh, you can use one 24 ounce bag of frozen cauliflower.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Adds both flavor and fat to the dish, allowing the cauliflower to crisp up just a bit.
• Seasoning: Salt, Garlic Powder, and Ground Black Pepper.

Ingredients for the Bechamel Sauce

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Flour: These are used to make a traditional roux for the bechamel.
• Plain Unsweetened Non-Vanilla Plant-Based Milk: You can use almond, cashew, oat, or if you prefer you can even use regular milk.
• Shredded Cheese: Swiss or Gruyere cheeses are ideal to make this cauliflower au gratin. If not available use sharp cheddar or mozzarella cheese for a mild taste. To make it vegan, simply use the vegan cheese of your choice.
• Seasoning: Nutritional Yeast, Salt, and Pepper. They add flavor to the bechamel sauce

Ingredients For the Breadcrumb Topping

• Panko Bread Crumbs: These are light and flaky bread crumbs that add a pleasant crunch to the au gratin cauliflower without much thickness.
• Parmesan Cheese: Use vegan if you prefer. This adds both salt and flavor.
• Salt: You won't need much because of the parmesan cheese.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Baked Cauliflower Au Gratin

Start by preheating your oven to 400º and preparing your pan with cooking spray. Cut the cauliflower into small bite-size pieces. Even if you get the frozen cauliflower, it may need to be chopped a bit.

Mix the cauliflower with olive oil, some salt, garlic powder, pepper, and toss it all really well. You can do this directly in the pan you will bake it in to save on clean-up. Spread this mixture evenly in the baking pan and bake it for twenty minutes.

While the cauliflower mixture for the vegan cauliflower gratin is baking, prepare the bechamel on the cooktop. Heat the olive oil and add the flour over medium heat. Stir this and cook it for two to three minutes. This is a type of roux.

Slowly add the milk and nutritional yeast, using a whisk and whisking it constantly to make sure there are no lumps and the flour is fully mixed in.

Season this and bring it to a simmer until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon (see image above0. Add shredded cheese, stir well and continue cooking until all the cheese has melted. Pour the bechamel sauce over the baked cauliflower and mix everything really well, so all the cauliflower is coated with the sauce.

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To make the crumb topping, mix panko bread crumbs with parmesan cheese and salt in a medium bowl and sprinkle it evenly on top of the cauliflower. Baked the dish again for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

You'll find more specifics on the recipe card at the end of this post!

How to Serve Vegan Cauliflower Gratin

This dish can stand on its own as the main entree for a lunch or dinner dish served with focaccia bread a fresh salad or an easy tomato rice soup It also makes a fantastic side dish. Serve it hot.

Tips for the Best Cauliflower Gratin

• Make sure to cook the cauliflower before adding the bechamel sauce, it will be too crunchy otherwise. If you don't have the time to roast the cauliflower you can place it in the microwave for 5 minutes.
• We used plant-based milk in this recipe in order to reduce the calorie count, you can choose to use regular milk, but the calorie count will change.  For this vegan cauliflower gratin recipe, we used unsweetened, plain almond milk and that's what the nutritional facts reflect.
• Make sure to cook the roux on the stovetop until it gets bubbly and starts to brown. This will help ensure it works as a thickening agent.
• The sauce is ready for cheese when it coats the back of a spoon. The cheese and time in the oven will thicken it more.
• Don't skip the panko topping, it add texture and crunch to this creamy cauliflower dish.

How to Store and Reheat Vegan Cauliflower Gratin

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. It can be reheated in the microwave in serving-sized portions.

It can also be frozen in individual serving-size portions and reheated as needed.

FAQ

Can I Freeze Cauliflower Gratin?

Freeze the cauliflower gratin once baked, but just bake for 15 minutes.  When ready to serve, thaw and bake for 15-25 minutes before serving.

Can I Make the Vegan Cauliflower Gratin Ahead of Time?

Making ahead instructions. Prepare the cauliflower gratin for up to step #8 and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days.  Right before serving add breadcrumb mix and bake.

Can I Make a Cauliflower Gratin Gluten-Free?

Yes. In this recipe, you will need to substitute the flour with gluten-free flour. You'll also need to find gluten-free panko bread crumbs or substitute a different type of crumb.

Other Cauliflower Recipes

Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Cauliflower Meatballs with Coconut Turmeric Sauce

Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos

Turmeric Zucchini Cauliflower Soup