Let me introduce you to my new favorite side dish – cauliflower gratin. Oh, how I love it!

I made a version of this recipe for our Christmas dinner and have tweaked the recipe several times since, which is really good news since every version was more and more delicious!

It all started with wanting an alternative to the potato recipe I usually serve during the holidays, which takes about 3 hours to make, involves slicing potatoes paper thin (a decidedly dangerous endeavor considering my lack of knife skills), uses over half a pound of butter, a quart of heavy cream, and a couple hours in the oven.

I wanted something just as rich and decadent that took a lot less time and I wanted to use up a gorgeous head of cauliflower I had purchased at the farmers’ market.

My first few versions were quite delicious; rich, creamy, and cheesy but they lacked textural contrast. So for my final version I made a topping of Kinnikinnick gluten free panko style bread crumbs mixed with some Parmesan and this was the final tweak that took the dish from good to great.

You don’t need a holiday to enjoy this fabulous side dish. And the addition of this recipe can make any ordinary meal seem special.

Gluten Free Cauliflower Gratin Recipe

Ingredients

Kosher or fine sea salt
1 large head of cauliflower (about 3 pounds) broken into florets
6 tablespoons butter, use divided, plus more for preparing the baking dish
2 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour or sweet rice flour
2 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, use divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup Kinnikinnick gluten free panko style bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 1½-quart baking dish with butter.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets and cook until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, ¾ teaspoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the Gruyere cheese and ½ cup Parmesan cheese and cook, stirring, until all the cheese melts.

Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the prepared baking dish. Add the cauliflower in an even layer, and pour the rest of the sauce over top.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the panko bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until the crumbs brown, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the mixture over the cauliflower.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the the bread crumbs. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.

Servings:

A gluten free recipe that serves 6 as a side dish.

Ready for dessert?

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Need a quick meal?

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