The BEST way to eat cauliflower for Thanksgiving, Christmas and beyond is in a Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin! Topped with bacon, this side dish tastes amazing!
The holidays are coming. I keep trying to forget it but it doesn’t change the fact that Thanksgiving is next week and will be quickly followed by Christmas. During the holidays, I am totally a side dish and dessert person!
Sure, I like the turkey but the sides, like stuffing {or this one} and vegetables {green or starchy} are where I really focus. To add a little variety to our side dish menu this year, I’m going to make a Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin.
Since focusing more on the paleo way of eating, cauliflower has become a staple in our house. Of course, this cauliflower au gratin version is filled with a gooey cheese sauce so it is far from paleo. BUT, it does have a healthy vegetable tucked in there so it is all good!
I tried this cauliflower side dish with a mixture of gruyere and gouda cheese in place of the pepper jack and it was so good too. So, if you prefer to skip the little bit of heat that the pepper jack cheese gives, the blend would be a good substitute.
What side dishes are on your holiday menu this year?
If you loved this Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin, check out these other great easy Thanksgiving side dishes:
- 12 Delicious Gluten Free Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Thanksgiving Quinoa Stuffing with Pancetta
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash
- Sweet Potato Casserole
Essential items for this recipe:
- Casserole dish
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- 4 cups Cauliflower Florets
- 8 slices Bacon cooked and crumbled
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 2 cups Pepper Jack Cheese shredded
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 1/3 cup Panko Crumbs
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
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Steam cauliflower until crisp/tender; about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Melt 3 Tbsp butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook for 30 seconds.
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Slowly add in milk letting each addition fully incorporate before adding in more. {I work in about 1/4 cup increments}.
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Bring to simmer and simmer, whisking frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened.
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Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir in cauliflower.
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Pour cauliflower mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with crumbled bacon.
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In a small bowl, melt 3 Tbsp butter. Mix in panko crumbs and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle on top of bacon
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Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Wow, this looks totally delicious! Pinning and tweeting! Thank you for being a part of Snickerdoodle Sunday this week! Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
~Laurie
This looks yummy, I love something different, thanks for sharing on #OMHGFF this week!
Have a great weekend!
Karren
This looks delicious! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
I’m just stopping by to let you know that your amazing cheesy cauliflower will be featured at our party, Monday @ 7 pm. Woo Hoo! Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for sharing this with us and we hope to see you tomorrow night! Lou Lou Girls
This looks fantastic!! I loved it so much that I featured it today!! Thank you for linking up last week to Creative K Kids’ Tasty Tuesdays. I have pinned your post to our Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest Board! I hope to see you again this week!
You had me at cheesy. Thanks for posting. Hello from Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party.