Cauliflower Gratin

This cauliflower gratin is studded with salty bits of bacon and cooked in a creamy, cheesy sauce for the ultimate comfort food side dish. It’s the most decadent way to enjoy cauliflower and is an absolute crowd pleaser.

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Cauliflower has had its moment lately as a healthier substitute for pretty much anything you can imagine from pizza crust to gnocchi, mashed potatoes and rice. It does a decent job at all those things, but make no mistake, you’re usually quite aware you’re eating cauliflower and not whatever it’s standing in for.

This cauliflower gratin, however, is another story entirely. It’s cheesy, comforting and probably one of the most decadent recipes on this site. You may be eating a vegetable, but between the bacon, cream, breadcrumbs and cheese, you’d never know it.

I created this recipe 10 years ago and as we approach Thanksgiving, it seemed like the perfect time to resurrect it, give it some new photos and remind you of how perfect a dish it is for your upcoming holiday meals. If you’re looking for a side dish that everyone is guaranteed to love, you can’t go wrong with this gratin.

Why Everyone Loves This Recipe

• Lower carb side dish option — you can even go lighter on the breadcrumbs to lower the carbs or, omit them entirely and use crunchy onions instead.
• Cheesy comfort food — between the ricotta and cheddar used in the gratin, there’s lots of bubbly, gooey cheesy action in each bite.
• Great for holidays or Sunday dinner — with its crowd-pleasing taste, this recipe is perfect for any holiday from Thanksgiving through Easter, but also perfect for a normal cozy Sunday dinner.
• Makes vegetables taste great — not even the pickiest of veggie haters will bat an eyelash at eating cauliflower with this preparation.

Ingredients You Need

Cauliflower — You’ll need one large head of cauliflower cut into florets. For a short cut option, buy a bag or two of the florets from the produce section. If you’re buying a head, avoid any with brown spots or soft, mushy sections. The leaves should be tight to the head, green in color and crisp. I don’t recommend frozen cauliflower for this dish. The result is too soggy.

Bacon — Bits of chopped cooked bacon bring a salty bite to the gratin and the leftover grease is used to cook the shallots and flavor the breadcrumbs.

Shallots — Offer a more subtle, sweeter flavor than onion and complement the cauliflower nicely.

Broth — This is used to cook the cauliflower so it’s fork tender and adds extra flavor.

Flour — Along with butter, a small amount of flour is used to make a roux and thicken the gratin.

Cream or milk — You can use either heavy cream or whole milk to create the roux.

Cheese — Ricotta and cheddar cheese are used in the dish to bring a cheesy, comforting vibe. The ricotta makes the gratin extra creamy while cheddar brings a lot of sharp flavor.

Spices — Nutmeg and cinnamon, along with a hint of salt and pepper, add a unique depth to this dish. Just a touch of each spice brings out subtle undertones that’ll leave people guessing what that secret ingredient is.

Panko breadcrumbs — These add the quintessential golden brown crunchy topping to the gratin. They’re toasted in bacon grease along with scallions before finishing off the dish.

How To Make This Cauliflower Gratin

Let’s break down the steps of making this dish. You can find the full recipe card at the bottom of this post with even more details.

Step 1: Chop the bacon into small pieces and cook in a large pot over medium-heat high until golden and crispy. Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon and transfer to a dish to set aside. Set aside one tablespoon of the bacon grease and leave the rest in the bottom of the pot.

Step 2: Add the shallots to the pot and cook until softened in the residual bacon grease. Pour the broth into the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to get any brown bits. Add the cauliflower florets to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower to a 9×9-inch baking dish using a slotted spoon leaving the broth and shallots in the pot.

Step 3: Add the butter to the pot and whisk until melted. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens. Pour in the milk or heavy cream and continue whisking until once again thickened. Add the ricotta and half of the cheddar cheese and stir until melted into the sauce. Turn off the heat and stir in the spices.

Step 4: Pour the mixture over the cauliflower florets in the baking dish and toss gently to coat.

Step 5: Scatter the bacon and remaining cheddar cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.

Step 6: While the gratin bakes, add the reserved tablespoon of bacon grease to a skillet over medium heat and toast the breadcrumbs and scallions.

Step 7: Remove the gratin from the oven. Raise the oven temperature to 450°F. Sprinkle the top with the breadcrumb and scallion mixture then return to the oven to bake uncovered for about 5 minutes until the top is golden brown and the gratin is bubbly.

How to Serve It

If you’re making this recipe outside of a holiday dinner and need some ideas of how to serve it, here are some of my favorites.

• Meatloaf — this bomb meatloaf recipe is my go-to and this is gratin is the perfect decadently comforting side dish to go with it.
• Roast chicken — nothing says a Sunday dinner quite like a roasted chicken. This time of year this apple butter roasted chicken is popular and the cauliflower gratin would go really well with it.
• Pork chops — Whether you make a simple skillet pork chop, pretzel crusted pork chops or glazed pork chops with apples, the cheesy gratin pairs perfectly.

How to Prep In Advance + Storage

You can partially make this advance which is helpful for holiday meal planning. Assemble the gratin up until the point of the first bake. Instead of putting in the oven, cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to bake and serve. Bring the gratin to room temperature before baking off.

Any leftover gratin can be kept stored in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheating is fine in the microwave though the crunchy breadcrumb topping with likely lose its crunch, but the flavor will still be great.

More Gratin Recipes To Try

I won’t lie, this is a decadent dish. If you want a gratin on the healthier side, try this tomato gratin or golden beet gratin instead.

Our butternut squash and cranberry gratin is festive and another great holiday option.

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Cauliflower Gratin

By: Gina Matsoukas

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

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This cauliflower gratin combines crispy bacon, creamy ricotta, sharp cheddar and a crunchy breadcrumb topping. A crowd-pleasing, comfort food side perfect for holiday feasts or cozy Sunday dinners.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 slices bacon, chopped
• ▢ 1 large shallot, minced
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk ricotta
• ▢ 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢ 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 3 scallions, chopped

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9×9-inch or similar sized baking dish.
• Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook for 6-8 minutes until rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined dish leaving the fat in the sauce pan. Remove one tablespoon of the fat and set aside.
• Add the shallots to the pan over medium heat and cook until softened, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
• Add the cauliflower florets, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and let cook for another 5 minutes.
• Transfer the cauliflower to the baking dish with a slotted spoon leaving the broth and shallots in the pan.
• Add the butter to the pan and whisk until melted.
• Add the flour and whisk continuously until fully incorporated and the mixture is thickened.
• Add the heavy cream or milk and whisk again until thickened.
• Add the ricotta and half of the grated cheese and whisk once more until combined.
• Turn the heat off, add the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt & pepper and stir together.
• Pour the mixture over the cauliflower and toss lightly to coat.
• Sprinkle the bacon on top and scatter the remaining cheese on top of the bacon.
• Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the reserved tablespoon of bacon fat to a small skillet over medium heat.
• Add the breadcrumbs and chopped scallions and toss in the bacon fat, set aside.
• Remove the dish from the oven, uncover and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top.
• Increase the oven temperature to 450°F degrees.
• Return the baking dish to the oven uncovered and cook for another 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown.
• Remove and serve warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 605kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 30gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 1050mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

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Gina Matsoukas

Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.