You know those crispy bits of tasty baked cheese or sauce left around the edge of a casserole? We fight over them in my family. Who can resist scraping up that last bit of crunchy goodness? The French actually have a word for it – gratin. It was originally derived from another French word, the verb “gratter” meaning “to scrape.” In 16th century France, the bits were scraped (graté) from the pan so that no amount of food was wasted. The term “le gratin” has also been used in France as a unique term describing the “upper crust” of society.
Since the 19th century, the meaning of the word has changed somewhat. Now we associate gratin or au gratin with dishes that have a crispy, baked top layer. This is usually created by placing the dish under direct heat. In the past, the cooking tool used for achieving a brown, crisp crust was called a salamander. The salamander, a rod with an attached iron disc, was heated in coals. When the disc became red hot, it was passed back and forth over the top of the dish until the top layer was brown and crisp. Nowadays we can achieve a similar result with the help of a broiler.
An antique Parisian salamander, ca. 1920
Cheese or breadcrumbs are often thought to be an essential component of gratin dishes. While they certainly help to create the desired top layer, one of the original gratin dishes, the gratin dauphinois, was made simply with thinly sliced potatoes and heavy cream and baked in a pan rubbed with butter and garlic. The dish is native to the former Dauphiné region of France, the same area responsible for creating the puff-like dauphine potatoes or “pommes dauphine.”
Gratins aren’t limited to potatoes; they can be made with anything from pasta to asparagus. And they don’t always have to be served as a savory dish. When prepared with fruit and cream and topped with sugar, a delicious crispy dessert can be made. Just like torching the sugar on top of a crème brulée, the broiler will melt and harden sugar on top of your gratin.
Gratins have been around for a few centuries, and most of us have tried them in some form. What makes the dish so fun is that it has very little restrictions in terms of ingredients. It can be re-invented over and over. Simply choose any of your favorite vegetables or fruits, add butter or cream, and turn up the heat. Or, you can make it with roasted cauliflower and cheese sauce, like I did!
I created this Roasted Cauliflower Gratin over the weekend. I’ve been on a roasted cauliflower kick lately—roasting the veggie caramelizes it, giving it a sweet and smoky flavor. I blame The Pioneer Woman and the mouthwatering Cauliflower Soup that she posted earlier this week for getting me into a cauliflower frame of mind. On Sunday I was in the mood for macaroni and cheese, but I wanted something healthier—something I could indulge in without feeling super guilty. I roasted up some cauliflower, then thought about topping it with grated cheddar cheese. I suddenly remembered a potato gratin my mom used to make for Thanksgiving—cheesy potatoes with rich cheese sauce and a brown, crispy top. Totally decadent. I started with her gratin sauce recipe and modified it a bit. Then I put the roasted cauliflower into a small baking dish, topped it with breadcrumbs (I used panko, but any type of crumbs will do), and baked it. I broiled it for the last minute or two to brown the top.
The result? Cheesy, creamy, amazing. The cheese sauce was perfection, the browned crumbly top created a lovely texture and crunch. The secret here is roasting the cauliflower, which gives it so much flavor. That, combined with the cheese sauce, makes for one heck of a delicious recipe—and the best part is, it’s much lighter than gratins made with heavy cream. Plus, you’ve got the added benefit of this being a vegetable dish, which takes some of the guilt out of indulging in all this cheesy deliciousness.
I also posted a tested gluten free modification below, I tried it out and it works great. Enjoy!
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Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
6 servings
15 minutes
30 minutes
Dairy
Description
Recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Gratin with creamy cheese sauce and caramelized roasted cauliflower. Easy gluten free modification. Vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs cauliflower florets (about one large 3 lb cauliflower head)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups lowfat milk
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, tightly packed
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
Gluten Free/Passover Modification Ingredients
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese
Recipe Notes
You will also need: 2 qt gratin dish or 8x8 inch square baking dish
Instructions
Gluten Free/Passover Modification: Substitute 1 tbsp potato starch for flour, substitute 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese for breadcrumbs.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread out the florets on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat (I usually use clean hands to make sure the cauliflower is evenly coated). Place them in the oven to roast for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, stir the florets with a wooden spoon. Return to the oven and roast for about 15 minutes longer till the edges brown/caramelize and the cauliflower is tender.
While the cauliflower roasts, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir to form a thick paste.
Slowly whisk in the milk, ¼ cup at a time. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat for a few minutes, whisking frequently, till it thickens and begins to bubble around the edges. Do not let the sauce boil.
Whisk in the grated cheddar cheese and stir till melted. Reduce heat to lowest setting, stirring frequently, until ready to assemble the gratin.
Remove roasted cauliflower florets from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Place the roasted florets in an even layer in a 2 qt gratin dish or 8x8 inch baking dish.
Pour the cheese sauce evenly across the top of the cauliflower florets.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly across the top of the cheese sauce.
Place the assembled gratin into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes till edges begin to brown and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
Remove the gratin from the oven and turn on your broiler. When broiler is hot, place the gratin back in the oven and let it brown under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching it carefully, till the top is browned to your liking.
Serve hot. If you're like to try a spicy modification on this recipe, substitute cayenne pepper for the black pepper, and add another pinch of cayenne to the sauce.
Research Sources
Davidson, Alan (1999). Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press, USA.
Herbst, Ron and Sharon Tyler (2009). The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, NY.
Saint-Ange, Madame E. (1927). La Bonne Cuisine. Translation copyright 2005, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.
Fabulous! Made this tonight following the recipe right down the line. In place of macaroni and cheese, I paired this dish with leftover baked ham and pan-roasted brussel sprouts. It was so satisfying I didn’t even miss the carbs in the mac and cheese. This is a winner of a recipe!
So glad you enjoyed Merrie!
This is a great alternative to mac and cheese if you’re trying to eat lower carb. This recipe is my husband and mine new favorite thing! We used half and half instead of low fat milk (which we don’t use) and it made it so rich, creamy and simply scrumptious!
Is it possible to substitute a different cheese other then cheddar or parmesan? My family really likes a milder cheese like mozzarella, muenster, american and such.
Hi Tobi– you can omit the parmesan. For the sauce you could use Muenster if you prefer.
HI! Thank you for the recipe. It was very tasty and delicious. Totally elevated the cauliflower. One thing that happened to me was that the amt of milk relevant to the ingredients seemed to be too much. Maybe the measuring utensil I used was not good. Otherwise, I will be making this dish much more. Loved it. Got me interested in Au-gratin potatoes now as well.
Hi Shawn! Glad you enjoyed. I’ve made this recipe dozens of time and never had an issue with it being too milky, so my guess is your utensils might be different. I am slowly upgrading my recipes site-wide to a new system that shows metric measurements too, hoping that will help!
This is delicious! I made it for (Canadian) Thanksgiving 2 weeks ago and I’m making it again tomorrow for a dinner party. So good and also convenient that you can prep it in advance.
Made this for Easter and everyone loved it. I added cayenne pepper for and added kick. Very delicious recipe.
Great recipe. I kicked it up a notch and added 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Made this tonight, although there was some steps involved, it was delicious. The cheese sauce was so good, probably the best augraten Ive ever hah. Will make again.
Thanks for the good report!
I make this about twice a week (no exaggeration) and add chicken (rotisserie or skinless/boneless breast) when I want a whole meal. Absolutely delicious. Fantastic recipe for the cauliflower lover in me.
Got it in the oven right now. Couldn’t help licking the spoon and bowl,,,the sauce is so good. Can’t wait to taste it baked on the cauliflower. Thank you for sharing.
Made this tonight. Mixed grilled chicken in to turn it into more of a main course. Served with a light salad. Perfect and super-hearty meal without being heavy. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it Leah!
Mother of God; that was fantastic!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it Stacy! 😉
This was delicious!
I found this while looking for low-carb cauliflower recipe. I’ve made it twice. It is absolutely delicious. Dare I say it is as good or better than mac and cheese? Can’t wait to make it again and again. Very easy! Thanks Tori.
It’s a tough call, Carol! I adore mac and cheese, but I must say I feel a lot better physically after eating this. Healthy carbs are always a good choice in my book. 😉
OMG. Just had this with a Filet with my GF and we totally ate it all tonight. Fantastic! Delicious! And BETTER than potatoes au gratin.
Fab Nick! I like it better too, if only because it has so much less starch. 🙂
I have made this a few times before and it is always quite a hit. I’m making it again but this time going to double the recipe. My question is should I also double the flour/butter mix? I am roasting the cauliflower tonight and will assemble later. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Elizabeth– yes I would double the sauce, however you may not need the entire amount of sauce on top. Just use as much as you feel it needs to be sufficiently covered and creamy. I’ve doubled this many times with great success. Enjoy!
This was excellent! My boyfriend even went back for seconds (he does not like cauliflower)! We are on South Beach diet, so I used crushed pine nuts, instead of bread crumbs, other than that I didn’t change anything and it was so good. Thanks for the recipe.
Had two heads of orange cauliflower in my bountiful basket…this was SO DELISH!!!! Sweet, creamy, addicting. Perfect for our “winter in October” weather!
Great idea Codi, I’ve never made it with the orange cauliflower. 🙂
I made this tonight, steamed instead of roasted but was delicious!
Made this last night -amazing! Thanks for the recipe
Looks amazing! Thanks for the interesting history as well.
I loved the pictures. I never buy a cook book unless it has pictures to show me what the dish should look like finishd. What a good idea to show me right along. I can’t wait to try this!!!!
Roasted cauliflower is good with tahini sauce, too, if you like getting away from the fat in the cheese.
I´ve made your recipe of this before…only I use Italian Bread Crumbs..it´s yummy!!
gonna make it soon I love cauliflower
This sounds and looks great…..ty for sharing
you´re making me hungry. since i cannot have anything white, this is an exception and diabetic friendly to boot. luv ya
Have plans on making it very soon..
looks good.
yum! I will try it.
This is absolutely delicious, my family love it, even if you don’t like cauliflower you will love this recipe. Thanks Tori
Yum!
Sounds delicious!
that sounds yummy
Maybe a good Thanksgiving dish
love this one!
Gotta try this. Would you use the same amount of milk if it were made with almond milk, Tori Avey?
Hey Amber! I’ve never tried it with almond milk. I think it should be fine subbing the same amount, though almond milk is a bit thinner than lowfat. You might try starting with 1 cup of almond milk, making the sauce, and adding an additional 1/4 if needed for texture. It should be creamy and thick, but pourable (see recipe pics for the proper texture). Let me know how you like it!
Yes, I´ve made it. It´s deliciously divine!
yummy!!
I found a really nice cauliflower, and used half for another recipe. I just found this recipe and decided to use the other half of the cauliflower. I used to make this all the time many years ago. I hadn’t bought real cows milk for a long time, I’ve been using soy for years. I bought some full fat organic cow milk specially. I made the recipe using half the ingredients, and it came out so good, I scoffed the lot myself! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll definately be making it again.
Great Marion! I really love this one and could easily eat the lot myself if I’m not careful. 😉
It’s in the oven now! I needed no grain, so I modified a little by adding less milk, some cream and no flour. And a touch of nutmeg. Thank you for the recipe!!!
Thank you! My pickiest boy ate this with out me begging!!!! I’ve added this to my Zip List and plan to make it again and again!
Yay!! That’s a major compliment. 😉
Just made this…wow!! Never had such delicious cauliflower. I stumbled on your site via the tutorial on how to shred cabbage. So many great recipes! Because I am a garlic lover I added two cloves to the cheese sauce and it pumped up the already great flavor.
Next up I am going to try the cheese stuffed red peppers and your shakshuka. Thanks for posting!
I just made this and actually it’s the first time I’ve even bought a head of cauliflower (hence me going on line and finding this recipe). I didn’t have quite enough so I added some broccoli and I used cayenne pepper. OH MY GOODNESS! This is soooo delicious and I actually think it’s better the next day. Bye bye mac n cheese. This is the ultimate comfort food dish and was very easy to make. Thanks!
This is by far the best cauliflower recipe I’ve ever made. I do not like cauliflower but thought i would give this a try because I am doing low-carb. OMG. This is so good. I will make this again and again.
So happy to hear that Lorraine! Thanks for letting me know.
I just made this recipe. It is delicious!! Thank you.
Yay! That’s what I like to hear. 🙂
Can you use frozen CF? Thanks!!
Hi Shari, please look at Kosher-girl’s comment above and my response for the answer to your question.
It really hits the spot
Cooked this for dinner with glazed carrots, french onion soup and garlic bread. It was very filling and yummy!
Now that is a hearty meal, perfect for a cold winter night! 🙂
Just made this tonight for my family and it went over really well.I had been serving it roasted for a while but the kids were getting bored with it that way so this was a great way to get them eating cauliflower again. They loved it and so did I!Thank you!
Thanks for reporting back Kathy! This is one of my favorite recipes. 🙂
What a delicious recipe! I’m so glad I found it while searching for a wintery cauliflower recipe! I did make a couple changes that I think put it over the top: I added some roasted grape tomatoes (as one reviewer suggested, more just to use up some I had in the fridge) and then the real kicker was some mushrooms sauted in butter — so delicious. Thanks Karla!
So happy you liked it Leeyat! It’s one of my favorite cold weather comfort foods. 🙂
My Granddaughter Karla made this for Thanksgiving. I was so impressed with the dish I begged her for the recipe.She added broccoli . I plan to try it today.
Thanks Karla. nana
Made this for Shabbat dinner tonight – FABULOUS main dish! I think this does an even better job than baked mac and cheese for the ooey gooey cheesy factor…everyone was very impressed. Thanks so much for posting this – it warmed us all up on this chilly Alaskan evening!
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER GRATIN—- I have a family reunion shortly & plan to take this yummy recipe. . In order to save time, is it possible to roast & brown the cauliflower the day before, chill it over night for safety,then make the roux & finish it the next day? I need to get as much done the day before as possible. Thanks for any help…
Hi Patricia– yes, you can definitely roast the cauliflower ahead of time. The gratin may take slightly longer to bake through if the cauliflower is chilled straight from the fridge.
call me silly but I really appreciate that you always cite your recipes.
Not silly at all, in fact I appreciate that you noticed! A lot of research goes into these historical posts, and I always site my sources in case readers want to learn more on their own. It’s always best to give credit where credit is due. 🙂
I just made this recipe, and it was so yummy that my husband actually had to push the dish away so that he would stop eating it! The only change I made was to separately roast a pint of grape tomatoes, mixing them in with the roasted cauliflower right before adding the cheese sauce. Between the golden top and the red tomatoes, it was a very pretty dish.
Hi, I am new to your site and love it! I love cauliflower as well and I do mine a little different, this comes from my father who is a Hungarian Jew. I put the slightly cooked CF in a baking dish and smother it in butter, sour cream (or yogurt/kefir if you are trying to be healthy) and the top it with bread crumbs then I bake it till the top gets brown. It is amazing and so not healthy but very addictive!!!
This looks amazing. Do you think it would be as tasty if I roasted the cauliflower ahead of time? Would it work to make the sauce too, ahead of time, and then assemble right before guests arrive? I would like to prep as much in advance as possible.
Hi Sarah, you can definitely roast the cauliflower ahead of time, but I would make the sauce just before you assemble it… it’s the type of sauce that will get thick and lumpy if you make it ahead. It only takes a few minutes to make the sauce, it’s super easy. Good luck! Let me know how you like it. 🙂
This might be the only way I would eat cauliflower. It looks delicious!!!! 🙂
That looks incredible! I am lucky, always the first to get at that crusty cheese portion 🙂
I love that you first roasted the cauliflower until browned and gorgeous before smothering it in cheese sauce and baking it off. I could seriously fantasize about this gratin!
Can this be used with frozen cauliflower? Please say yes. It’s looks delicious.
Kosher_girl, absolutely– but you won’t be able to roast the cauliflower. Roasting frozen vegetables can turn them into a mushy disaster because they have too much moisture in them. Instead, skip the roasting step. Steam the frozen cauliflower on the stovetop till just tender, but not soft (tender-crisp). Then proceed with the recipe by placing the cauliflower into the gratin or baking dish and covering with sauce. Good luck!
This looks yummy! How would you change the recipe for frozen cauliflower? Thanks!
Hi Talya! See my response to Kosher_girl for the answer to your question. 🙂
Hi Tori – so neat to see that antique salamander. The only ones I’ve ever seen are the modern type, in restaurant kitchens.
I was roasting cauliflower this week too.
Your dish sounds delicious (as always).
LL
wow, that’s what I call comfort food! Must be so delish!
im first gen. american of British parents that came to America after WWII …Cauliflower Au gratin was a staple in my home as a child it was a common side with the sunday roast and was eaten thru the week as a leftover…..my favorite was with a sunny up fried egg and a dash of hot sauce on toast for breakfast…..
a great alternative to the Cauliflower is to use Leeks instead of roasting them off saute them til just starting to brown up i also like to add Cottage Cheese and Feta to the sauce mix for a bit of extra cheesyness….
So many great things to do w/ cauliflower. Just roasted then a mixture of lemon juice, hot pepper flakes and olive oil stirred onto it is great. It makes a nice kugel w/ an almond-herb crust or cooked well, pureed, then shredded cheddar+sour cream or ricotta+grated parm stirred in. Yummm…
Thanks for the historical info, it’s always cool to know
Hi Shiksa, It’s so great to see one of your recipes at another site. I’m going to try this w/ broccoli instead. Hope all is well w/ you and yours, Tracy
This looks amazing! Can’t believe I never thought of this one on my own. I will be making this very soon – perhaps with salmon and asparagus…
How do you do that!!! How do you seem to know what is going to be in my Organic Veggie Coop bags!!! This time… four heads of cauliflower! rofl… Guess what I am making tonight.
A little bird told me, Ber! teehee
Wow! That looks great. How did it reheat? (If you had any left to reheat.) Seems like it might be a great Shabbat afternoon dish during these long summer Saturdays!
Hey Amanda! Yes this is a great Shabbat dish, and it reheats very well. Just pop it in the oven at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes or so till heated through. You can also microwave it to reheat. Enjoy!
Thanks for the gratin lesson! haha. I’ll be sure to try this 🙂
hi i’m just wondering if when you put the sauced cauli back into the oven to bake, is it still at 425? or lower?
thanks
In the recipe instructions you’ll note that it says to reduce heat to 375 degrees F before putting back in.