A vegetable bake can take the place of several separate brunch sides. Put one casserole in the middle of the table, add something fresh beside it, and the meal has a clear focal point. Cauliflower cheese fits that approach particularly well on a cool autumn weekend.
Nagi Maehashi’s RecipeTin Eats version roasts the florets before baking them in cheese sauce. The sauce uses butter, flour, milk and cream, with Red Leicester and Gruyère; the recipe also explains substitutions. The result pictured here follows the golden cheese-sauce version, with recognizable florets beneath a browned top, rather than a breadcrumb-covered gratin.
Our menu suggestion is to balance the casserole with a sharply dressed leafy salad and a small portion of bread. If eggs are already part of the meal, treat the bake as a shared side and keep the other accompaniments simple. Set out a broad serving spoon so guests can take some sauce as well as cauliflower.
Planning matters as much as the ingredient list: the florets roast first, then the assembled dish bakes. Read the complete timings before assigning the oven to another brunch dish. For an alternative vegetable preparation with fewer components, browse our Food Recipes collection.
Recipe credit: Nagi Maehashi, RecipeTin Eats. Use the original recipe for exact quantities, cheese options and the complete cooking method.
Sources: Full original recipe: RecipeTin Eats