Cauliflower Cheese Casserole
Even if you're not a fan of cauliflower, this is a delicious and low carb alternative to Mac 'n Cheese.
Ah, the lowly cauliflower, a member of an unusual vegetable species known as Brassica Oleracea which also includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, and kale. I hate it. And actually, a lot of people do, which is why the cauliflower has undergone something of a Renaissance in recent years being used as something other than the de facto vegetable it is.
In fact, cauliflower products increased 71% in the US between 2017 and 2022. Cauliflower mashed "potatoes" came about in the 1990s during the low carb craze. But more recently in the Keto and gluten-free hysteria, all manner of cauliflower dishes as a substitution for something else have come to market, like, cauliflower pizza crusts, cauliflower breadsticks, cauliflower fried rice and cauliflower bread substitute.
There's a reason for all this. Not a lot of people like the taste and smell of cauliflower because like all cruciferous vegetables mentioned above, it's high in sulfur. Sulfur stinks. It's the brimstone in Dante's version of hell.
But you may not know that sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in your body. Your system uses it to make building blocks for amino acids which your body processes into proteins. And cauliflower has a ton of sulfur, comparatively speaking, to some of the other vegetables on the Oleracea list.
Cauliflower is low in carbohydrates but more importantly, its flavor can be easily masked behind other more robust ingredients, especially if they contain a lot of fat; things like butter, cream and cheese. Cauliflower and cheese casseroles have been around for a long time but it's only recently that such casseroles are being largely marketed as low carb or Keto-friendly alternatives for mac 'n cheese. While I personally think this is no real substitute for mac 'n cheese - nothing is - this casserole certainly will satisfy those times when I am craving something cheesy, low-carb and delicious while also giving me my dose of sulfur. Other times, however, I’ll go with the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Mac ‘n Cheese.
Cauliflower & Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large head cauliflower, cut down into florets
- 4 oz shredded Gruyère cheese
- 4 oz shredded Swiss cheese
- 4 oz shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1- 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 extra large eggs
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked salt (like, San Francisco Salt Company Alder Wood)
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F with a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven.
- Put the cauliflower florets into a pot of salted, boiling water for 6-7 minutes until fork tender. Drain through a colander and allow to steam dry for 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together, then add the heavy cream and whisk again.
- Add the onion powder, smoked salt, white pepper and nutmeg and whisk to combine.
- Spray a large (9" x 11") casserole dish with the non-stick spray and layer in 1/2 of the Gruyère and Swiss cheeses. Add the cauliflower and the other half of the Gruyère and Swiss, then give everything a good stir.
- Pour the egg and cream mixture evenly over the cauliflower and cheese, then add the Parmesan Cheese on top of the casserole. Sprinkle the paprika over the top.
- Bake 45-55 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
