Easy Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Casserole
Cauliflower in a not-too-cheesy sauce, topped with crunchy Panko bread crumbs and baked to perfection!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cauliflower in bag, previously trimmed, washed, trimmed of long stems, cut or broken into small florets
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3-5 drops of hot pepper sauce, Tabasco to taste
- 3 cups half-and-half, plus extra milk if making ahead - see recipe notes
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheese: cheddar, white cheddar, Colby jack
Instructions
- Place prepared cauliflower in a casserole dish. If desired, microwave or steam the cauliflower until barely fork tender (usually about 3 minutes in a microwave, covered). This will reduce the cook time in oven to 20 minutes. If microwaving the cauliflower, drain any excess water from dish. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt 7 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of flour and whisk. Let cook for about 3 minutes. The flour and butter will begin to bubble. Whisk to smooth.
- Add salt, pepper, paprika, Dijon mustard, and hot sauce; whisk again. Let cook for about a minute. The mixture may clump but will become smooth after adding liquid.
- Add the half-and-half a cup at a time, whisking after each cup. Lower heat to prevent scorching. When the sauce is hot and bubbly, add cheese and whisk until melted. Pour sauce over prepared cauliflower in casserole dish. If making this recipe ahead, add an extra 1/4 cup of half-and-half or milk to the liquid.
- Wipe out or wash the saucepan used to make the sauce.
- Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the saucepan. Sprinkle the Panko bread crumbs into the pan and use a spatula to move the crumbs around so they don't burn while cooking. Sauté until golden. Sprinkle the crumbs over the cauliflower if baking right away. If not, reserve for later.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately or keep warm for up to one hour.
Notes
- If making this dish stovetop, cook the cauliflower in the microwave until fork tender, about 5-6 minutes, or steam on the stovetop. Remove excess water after cooking. Prepare the sauce in the pan and then add cauliflower. Prepare the Panko crumbs in a sauté pan and set aside until just before serving. When ready to serve, pour cauliflower into a serving dish or right out of the pan and top with Panko crumbs.
- Make-ahead instructions: Prepare cauliflower. Make sauce, adding extra liquid as stated in recipe for make-ahead, reserving crumbs until baking. Set in fridge up to 2 days ahead. When ready to bake, remove from fridge and let sit on countertop for an hour. Bake as directed, but allow for an extra 15 minutes to ensure the casserole is heated through.
- Cauliflower may be purchased at Costco in 2-pound bags.
- Half broccoli may also be substituted in this recipe.
- This recipe is easily halved.