Roasted Cauliflower with Gruyère

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This is my new favorite way to eat cauliflower.

Roasted cauliflower layered with a decadent Gruyère cheese sauce and then topped with panko.

And it is a cinch to make!

One head of cauliflower will make 2 generous servings or 4 normal servings. I made 2 generous servings.

First, cut the cauliflower into small pieces.

You can steam it, but I love the way it tastes after it has been roasted.

You can read about my first time roasting cauliflower HERE.

All you do is spread the cauliflower out onto a sheet pan:

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt:

And then toss it into a 400F oven for about 25 minutes — I like to toss the cauliflower and shake the pan a couple of times while it is roasting.

While that roasts, make the creamy Gruyère sauce.

It starts with a basic béchamel sauce (white sauce).

Use equal amounts of butter and flour to make a roux — for this recipe, you’ll need about 2-3 tablespoons of each.

I know this because I used 4 tablespoons of each.

(If you want to have extra Gruyère sauce to dip bread into the next day, use 4+ tablespoons.)

Melt the butter over medium heat, and then whisk in the flour until the mixture is well blended (I used rice flour).

Whisk in about a cup of heavy cream (or half & half or milk):

Remember to use more cream if you started with 4 tablespoons of butter/flour like I did.

Whisk, whisk, whisk, whisk until the mixture thickens.

You will now have a béchamel sauce — a thick, warm, creamy mix of flour, butter, and heavy cream.

Season with salt and pepper and then add shredded Gruyère.

I started with about a cup, but I added another handful to make it cheesier.

Whisk and whisk until you get this:

If it is too thick, add more cream. If it isn’t cheesy enough, add more cheese.

Remember, this is your recipe and your meal so taste and add all you want — just have fun with it.

Check the cauliflower.

It should be gorgeously caramelized by now.

Now we are ready to layer!

I used my onion soup bowls:

You can also layer it all in a small casserole dish or make individual ramekins — just use what you have.

Spoon some of the Gruyère sauce on the bottom:

Then add a layer of roasted cauliflower:

Top that with more Gruyère sauce:

Then add another layer of roasted cauliflower and Gruyère sauce.

I know, it is ridiculous.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with ridiculous.

Now sprinkle some panko on top:

Or crushed rice crackers for gluten free.

And that’s all there is to it!

Put it into your already hot 400F oven until it is heated through and golden brown on top — about 5-7 minutes.

This makes an excellent side dish for any grilled meat but it will also stand on its own as a comforting meal.

The roasted cauliflower is sweet and nutty and the silky richness of the Gruyère Sauce sends it over the top.

Please make this. Your kids (of all ages) will eat every single bite and even lick their plate.

That’s what happened here, anyway.