This baked cauliflower cheese is comfort food made fancy. Roasted cauliflower with a silky Gruyère béchamel, topped with fresh, creamy burrata and finished with a crunchy Parmesan crumb.
This baked cauliflower cheese recipe takes the classic comfort food and gives it a more refined edge. Baking the cauliflower with a brown butter Gruyère béchamel brings a deeper, nuttier flavour. Then it’s topped with burrata and Parmesan crumb to really take it to the next level! It’s rich, comforting, and just a little bit of a show-stopper.
In this Post
- Ingredients
- How to make baked cauliflower cheese
- Variations & Substitutes
- Storing & Reheating Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Recipe
Ingredients
Cauliflower: The key to a flavourful cauliflower cheese is roasting the cauliflower first, not boiling. This brings out the flavours of the cauliflower and prevents it becoming watery.
Gruyère: Gruyère is the traditional cheese used to make a mornay sauce. It brings a nutty flavour and melts beautifully into the sauce.
Parmesan: The Parmesan crumb gives this dish its crunchy texture, and is also used as a seasoning. Parmesan cheese has a sharp, salty flavour.
Burrata: A burrata is essentially a mozzarella ball filled with stracciatella cheese. When you break it open, the filling oozes out. It adds a richness to the cauliflower cheese that takes it from a classic comfort dish to something a bit more special.
How to make baked cauliflower cheese
ONE: Roast the cauliflower florets with olive oil and salt for 25 minutes at 230ºC.
TWO: Melt the butter and let it brown slightly in a saucepan over medium heat and combine with flour to make a roux.
THREE: Add the milk to the roux and whisk to combine to create a béchamel sauce. Then stir in the Gruyère, dijon mustard and nutmeg until the cheese is melted.
FOUR: Toast the panko crumbs and thyme with olive oil in a pan over medium heat until golden brown.
FIVE: Remove the toasted crumbs from the heat and stir through the Parmesan. Some clumps may form but they can be broken up once it has cooled.
SIX: Combine roasted cauliflower with béchamel and bake in a baking dish for 10 minutes at 200ºC. Finish under the grill/broiler on high for 2 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes then top with torn burrata and Parmesan crumb.
Variations & Substitutions
Gluten free. This recipe can easily be made gluten free by substituting the flour for cornflour (or corn starch) and using a gluten free bread crumb.
Different cheeses. While Gruyère is the traditional cheese to use, you can try another cheese, especially if you already have some on hand. Cheddar is a good option and readily available. Comté or Emmental will give you a similar final product. You want to use a cheese that melts well, so avoid hard cheeses or crumbly cheeses.
Skip the burrata. While I do think this is what takes this cauliflower cheese to the next level, you can totally leave it off if you prefer a more classic approach. Or you can replace the burrata with a little crème fraîche spooned on top.
Breadcrumbs. You can use stale bread to make bread crumbs instead of using panko crumbs. Just blitz the bread in a food processor before toasting.
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To reheat, warm the cauliflower cheese in the oven at 180°C, covered, until heated through. Remove the cover for the last few minutes.
It’s best to add the burrata fresh each time rather than reheating it, as it loses its texture when warmed. So only serve half the burrata if you are not planning to eat it all at once. If possible, store the crumb separately in an airtight container at room temperature, and sprinkle it over just before serving to keep it crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can roast the cauliflower and make the béchamel and Parmesan crumb ahead of time. Then you can just mix them together to bake and top with the burrata and Parmesan crumb. It will need to be baked a little longer if cooking from cold. Make sure it is hot and starts to turn golden on top.
It’s not ideal. The sauce can split slightly when reheated and the texture of the cauliflower will soften. It’s best made fresh or eaten within a couple of days.
The Recipe
I’d love to hear how you get on with making this recipe if you try it and how much you enjoyed eating it! Leave a review below for me to read, or tag me on Instagram if you share a photo.
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Baked Cauliflower Cheese with Gruyère, Parmesan & Burrata
This baked cauliflower cheese is comfort food made fancy. Roasted cauliflower with a silky Gruyère béchamel, topped with fresh, creamy burrata and finished with a crunchy Parmesan crumb.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 serves 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 large cauliflower cut into medium florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 250 millilitres whole milk
- 25 grams butter
- 25 grams flour
- 60 grams Gruyère grated
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- small pinch nutmeg
- 25 grams panko crumbs
- 15 grams Parmesan finely grated
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 burrata
- salt to season
Instructions
Roast the Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 230ºC.
- Toss the cauliflower florets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and some salt, then spread out on an oven tray so they are not too crowded. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once about half way.
- Remove from the oven and turn the temperature down to 200ºC.
Make the Béchamel
- Pour the milk into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it brown slightly then turn the heat down.
- Add the flour and combine to make a roux. Cook for about 2 minutes, continuously stirring.
- Gradually add the warm milk while whisking to combine with the roux.
- Once the sauce has begun to thicken, remove from the heat and add the Gruyère, dijon mustard and nutmeg. Stir until the cheese has fully melted.
Toast the Parmesan Crumb
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add the panko crumbs and thyme and toast until golden brown, continuously stirring.
- Remove from the heat and add the parmesan and combine. Some clumps may form, but these can be broken up after it has cooled.
Bake the Cauliflower Cheese
- In a large bowl, combine the roasted cauliflower and béchamel sauce then transfer to a baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
- Finish with the oven on grill/broil on high for about 2 minutes or until the top of the cauliflower cheese begins to brown.
- Let the cauliflower rest for five minutes before serving.
- Top with the burrata torn into pieces, and then a sprinkling of Parmesan crumb. Serve the rest of the Parmesan crumb on the side.
Notes
- Roasting the cauliflower. Roasting the cauliflower rather than boiling is key to this recipe. Spread it out on the tray to allow for better caramelisation of the surface.
- Browning the butter. Let the butter brown slightly before adding the flour. It will foam and then begin to turn golden. Don’t take it too far or it will burn the flour when added and you’ll end up with lumps in the sauce. Use the visual cue of the colour, but also it will begin to smell nutty when it browns.
- Prep Time: 10
- Resting Time: 5
- Cook Time: 45
What to Serve with Bake Cauliflower Cheese
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Crispy Chicken Cotoletta with Fresh Salsa Verde
This chicken cotoletta is a simple, reliable dish that is full of flavour. The chicken is coated in a crisp parmesan crumb and served with a fresh salsa verde made with parsley, capers and lemon.
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