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British

Cauliflower cheese

Vegetarian

Tender cauliflower baked in a mustard-sharpened cheddar sauce until bubbling and golden — a beloved British side for roasts.

Cauliflower cheese is a British side dish from United Kingdom, ready in about 45 minutes and made with cauliflower and cheddar. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Baked cauliflower cheese with a golden top in an oval dish
Photo: Andy / Andrew Fogg from near Cambridge, UK / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
35 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
240

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab). Boil the cauliflower (opens in a new tab) in salted water until just tender, drain well and spread in a baking dish (opens in a new tab).

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab), stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Gradually whisk (opens in a new tab) in the milk (opens in a new tab) and simmer, stirring, until thick and smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Off the heat, stir in two-thirds of the cheese with the mustard, nutmeg (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.

    • 2 min

  4. Step 4

    Pour the sauce over the cauliflower (opens in a new tab), scatter with the remaining cheese and bake until bubbling and golden.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
United Kingdom · Commonly attributedAlso popular in IrelandMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Casseroles & bakes
Cooking method
Boiled, Oven-baked
Taste
creamy, savoury, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Child-friendly · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Cauliflower · Cheddar · Butter · All-purpose flour · Milk · Prepared mustard
Techniques
Baking · Boiling · Simmering · Roux thickening

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, cheddar
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Mustardfrom prepared mustard
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom prepared mustard

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

240 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 254 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 17%
  • Carbohydrate 27%
  • Fat 56%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy240 kcal94 kcal
Protein10.6 g4.2 g
Carbohydrate16.7 g6.6 g
Net carbohydrate13.7 g5.4 g
Sugars7 g2.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.9 g1.2 g
Fat15.4 g6 g
Saturated fat9 g3.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol43 mg17 mg
Sodium551 mg217 mg
Salt equivalent1.4 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
539 mg
Calcium
272 mg
Iron
1 mg
Magnesium
36 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
153 µg
Vitamin C
64 mg
Vitamin D
1.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
105 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Let the drained cauliflower steam dry so it doesn't water down the sauce.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the cheese sauce after adding the cheese can make it grainy.

Serve with

  • Serve alongside a Sunday roast, or on its own with crusty bread as a light supper.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered in the oven until piping hot.

Variations

  • Cauliflower and broccoli cheese: Use half broccoli florets.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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