Do you want a mid-week recipe that is quick and easy to make but most importantly the kids are going to love? Try out this creamy cauliflower bake – loaded with ham, cheese and potatoes.
I recently discovered that my boys love cauliflower. They hold their “little trees” in their hand and nibble away at them until they are all gone. My eldest son even asked for the leftovers for dinner after we had it for lunch the same day. So this dish is going land on our table again soon.
There is often a tricky balance between tasty and healthy recipes, but I feel like this dish has hit the mark.
About this Recipe
In my opinion, the best cauliflower recipes are made with cheese. I have reduced the amount of cheese in this recipe to 50 g (to make it a bit healthier). If you use a strong, mature cheese such as gouda or cheddar, this will not affect the taste. You can scale up the amount if you want your cauliflower extra cheesy.
This recipe uses cauliflower, cooked ham and potatoes as its base. If you are on a low carb diet, you can simply leave out the potatoes.
I used “Kochschinken” which is quite thickly cut, cooked ham. The thinly sliced British cooked ham can also be used. If you have some leftover gammon – chuck it in, I’m sure it will be great.
I used fresh cauliflower, but it will work as well with frozen cauliflower florets. Just boil them in water as outlined in the recipe.
Can I prepare the cauliflower bake in advance?
You can make up this cauliflower casserole the evening before. Keep it in the fridge overnight in a sealed container and then place in the oven before you need to eat it.
What to serve the creamy cauliflower bake with?
The addition of the potatoes makes this dish a one-pot meal. No need to make any extra sides.
However it lends itself to being a side dish, because you can prepare it in advance. It could be served with some green salad, salmon dishes or some crusty bread. It would go well with a roast dinner as well. You could try it with goulash.
How to store the cauliflower bake?
This dish will keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. I have found that it also freezes well and can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Creamy Cauliflower Bake
Ingredients
- 750 g cauliflower about 11 cups or 26 oz
- 500 g potatoes 2 1/2 cups
- 200 g ham 1 cup
- 25 g butter 1/8 cup
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 300 ml whole milk 1 1/4 cups
- 200 ml water 3/4 cup
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 50 g strong cheese like cheddar, parmesan or gouda 1/4 cup
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- lemon juice
- sugar
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Divide the cauliflower into little florets. Peal the potatoes and quarter them. Add both the cauliflower and potatoes into boiling salted water and cook for 10 minutes. Then drain.
Sauce
- To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Sweat the flour in the butter and then add the milk and water. Season with pepper, nutmeg, a dash of lemon juice and a little sugar to taste. Don't worry if the sauce ends up a little thick, as the cauliflower will add a little liquid.
- Place the cauliflower and potatoes in the casserole dish. Chop the ham into small cubes and sprinkle on top. Now pour the sauce evenly over the dish.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
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