Pantry Cauliflower Cheese
Cauliflower cheese is usually served as a side and tends to be a bit on the ‘stodgy’ side. Here we’re treating it as a simple main course and freshening things up by serving with fresh goats cheese and finely grated parmesan instead of the more usual heavy melted cheese.
I love this method for cooking a whole range of veg from fresh broccoli and broccolini to asparagus to even things like bok choy. It’s super quick and with the combination of charring and steaming give lovely complex veggie flavours.
Frozen veg can be a little on the ‘watery’ side. This cooking method is brilliant because it cooks off all the extra water, leaving you with concentrated tasty veg.
serves 2
1 bag frozen cauliflower (500g / 1lb)
2 large handfuls grated parmesan cheese
100g (3.5oz) goats cheese
1. Heat a frying pan on a super high heat for 3-4 minutes. You want it charring hot to instantly defrost the frozen cauli.
2. Add a little oil and the cauli. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, still on a super high heat.
4. Stir and return lid. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the cauli is browned in places and hot all over.
5. Divide hot cauli between 2 plates. Top with cheeses. Season.
do ahead potential?
OK. Will keep in the fridge for a few days. But best when freshly made so you get the contrast between the hot cauli and cold creamy cheese.
variations for fun
vegan / dairy-free – serve the hot cauli drizzled with tahini and lemon juice. Or try it on a bed of hummus.
fresh – chop cauli into tiny trees. And cook as per the recipe. May take a little longer for the cauli to be tender.
different veg – replace cauli with broccoli.
different cheeses – ricotta, guryere, cheddar or whatever you have in the fridge. This is a great dish to use up odds and ends of cheese. Just grate harder cheeses and crumble or slice softer ones.
carnivore – serve as a side to a BBQ chicken.
more substantial – add a drained can of white beans such as cannellini to the pan and stir to heat through or serve with a fried egg per person.
budget – replace the goats cheese with ricotta.
problem solving guide
watery cauliflower – it means your pan wasn’t hot enough or you didn’t cook for long enough. Keep cooking until you’re happy.
bland / too dry – try adding a little more goats cheese and pepper.
cauli burning – it’s meant to brown and ‘char’ in a few places so don’t stress too much. Although if it’s blackening too much, just turn the heat down or stop all together.
don’t have a frying pan with a lid? just use a baking tray or even some foil to cover. You just need something to keep the steam in so the veg char from the bottom and steam from the top.
serving suggestions
Lovely on it’s own. See the variations for some alternative ideas.
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Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
Wow what a transformation from the tired piece of cauliflower I had in the fridge. I needed a quick lunch. I added the splash of water and some frozen peas towards the end of the cooking. I only had a small amount of Brie and the Parmesan. Lovely lunch dish quick and substantial. Thanks Jules
Yum Denise!
Another recipe I need to revisit soon
Hi Jules…I love this method of cooking cauli and have also used it for broccoli bunches of times. I’m a little freaked out about smoke points of oil though – can you discuss that with respect to this method and set me straight on what I should/shouldn’t worry about? thanks!
Hi Carol!
Very valid concern that I hadn’t thought about…
With this method the extreme temps mean that yes your oil is likely to break down.
To minimize this make sure you’re using an oil with as high a smoke point as possible… I use rice bran oil but have been getting into using coconut oil more often for this type of cooking because it is very stable.
The other thing to keep an eye on is how much the veg are getting charred. You want a little charring for flavour but the more charring the more oil breakdown you’re getting so if you feel like it’s charring too much, just add a splash of water to calm everything down. The steam generated will also help to cook the veg more quickly.
The third thought I have around this is that we’re only using a small amount of oil, compared with deep frying something. So the overall risk isn’t as great.
Does that help?
Jx
That’s great….thanks so much! It’s hard to know how obsessive one really needs to be about these things….
Glad it helped Carol!
Yes sometimes it is hard to know 🙂
This is great! I often defrost frozen cauliflower in the microwave, which takes about 3-4 minutes anyway, but ends up a bit water-logged with none of those great brown/black charred spots.
I don’t have a microwave Karen because I find most things are better in the pan!
Jx
I made a small, less cheesy portion today for breakfast with a sausage (pre-cooked, just browned in the pan to warm up). It was a great, quick alternative to scrambled eggs.
Lovely idea Karen!
Jx