Cauliflower gratin: enjoy this tasty super light version
If you love cauliflower, you’ll certainly love this super light cauliflower gratin. Usually the béchamel or white sauce is loaded with butter, but I found out that there is really no need for all the butter in most of the recipes. You can actually skip it or substitute with olive oil and the taste will be great as well.
Cauliflower gratin: health facts
Even after cooking, the cauliflower is rich in vitamin C, but also in good fibers for our microbiome. It also contains folate and little to no calories. A great addition to everyone’s diet! Cauliflower when paired with proteins and some carbs, like in this recipe, can be a great meal even for those who need a reduced calories intake. But the best thing is that it is good! Since the white sauce in the recipe is fat free, you can use this gratin as a side dish for every meat or fish you like.
Fat-free (and vegan/vegetarian) white sauce for cauliflower gratin
If you think that a fat-free white sauce is not tasty, think again. Especially when using cow, almond or soy milk, there is really no need to use the butter to get a very good sauce. This white sauce is simple and quick you only need the milk of choice and some starch, a pinch of salt and you’re good to go. Full fat milk is best, but low fat works perfectly too.
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
- 300ml milk of your choice, you can use cow, soy, almond or oat milk or the one you prefer
- 2 tbsp of corn starch
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp of grounded nutmeg
- 100gr of cheese (you can choose mozzarella, or parmigiano, or any cheese that melts – use vegan cheese if you follow a vegan diet)
Method
Step 1
Wash, cut into pieces and cook the cauliflower (you can boil it or steam it). It will take about 15 minutes.
Step 2
Drain the cauliflower and put it into the terrine or a baking pan, add salt and pepper to taste, but remember not to add too much salt. Later you will add bechames sauce and cheese that will give extra saltiness to your dish.
Step 3
Dissolve the starch in a couple of spoon of milk into a little saucepan. Add the rest of the milk and then salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Bring it to a boil while stirring. As it soon as it boils, turn the heat to low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour it on the cauliflower.
Step 4
Add a spoonful of grated cheese and mix all the ingredients gently. Cover with the rest of the cheese and broil for about 15 minutes. Serve tepid with some croutons or fresh sourdough bread or focaccia.
