Cauliflower Gratin

Potato au gratin gets all the love during the holidays, but this easy cauliflower gratin is a worthy and delicious substitute. We won’t go as far as to call it healthy, per se — there’s still plenty of cream, cheese, and breadcrumbs – but replacing starchy potatoes with cauliflower does lighten up the special occasion-worthy side dish significantly. Bonus: It’s 100% acceptable to have both mashed potatoes and this gratin on the table. 

What is cauliflower gratin?

Inspired by potatoes au gratin, cauliflower gratin is essentially a cheesy cauliflower casserole with a cheese sauce base (aka mornay) and a crispy bread crumb topping. 

How do you make mornay sauce?

Making the sauce is easy. You’ll start by cooking a simple roux (equal parts butter and flour) then whisk in milk and heavy cream and cook until thickened. Stir in shredded cheese at the end until melty, and voila! You’ve just made mornay. 

Why is my cauliflower gratin watery? 

Cauliflower recipes have recently become more popular, especially when it comes to creating low carb versions of recipes we love (like pizza crust!) But it also has a bad reputation for making things watery. The reason being: it’s made of a ton of water! To combat this, Ree starts her recipe for cauliflower gratin by roasting the cauliflower florets until browned. This draws out much of the vegetable’s moisture and will prevent the gratin from being watery and soggy in the oven.