Inspired by the classic British comfort food dish Cauliflower Cheese, this Cauliflower Gratin Recipe with Buttery Ritz Topping features cauliflower in a rich, creamy savory cheese sauce with a buttery crunch.
I’ve had two encounters with Cauliflower Cheese.
The first time I had it was when I was a teenager up in Buffalo. One of my dad’s customers gifted him what they said was a family recipe for Cauliflower Cheese.
It was a Canadian family, and my dad told me that when he went to their house for a service call on their washer, they shared some of the dish with him. He loved it, and then they shared the recipe (which unfortunately, my dad lost before we even made it)!
My second encounter with Cauliflower Cheese was in London. My ex-husband and I were there on vacation one year and we had it at a pub as part of a roast beef dinner along with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes. It was delicious, and pure comfort food!
That served as the inspiration for this Cauliflower Gratin Recipe.
What is Cauliflower Cheese?
Cauliflower Cheese is a traditional British recipe of cauliflower that’s boiled briefly until tender, and then topped with cheese sauce and baked. Although I can’t speak to the authenticity of my Cauliflower Gratin Recipe, it was inspired by a classic Cauliflower Cheese I had in London a few years ago.
Cauliflower Cheese is a great side dish paired with a hearty main course, such as a pot roast or roast chicken. I’ve also heard of it being served as a main course. And it’s delicious stuffed inside a baked potato.
Quick Cauliflower Cheese Recipe Without Flour
This dish typically has a milk-based cheese sauce that’s thickened with flour.
Traditionally, you melt butter in a saucepan, and then you stir in flour to form a “roux”. Then you whisk milk into the roux to make a milky sauce that’s called “béchamel”. At this point, you can stir cheese into the béchamel to turn it into “Mornay” sauce.
However, I wanted to make a gluten free version! Here I used cream cheese as the thickener instead of flour. This cheese sauce is every bit as thick and rich as a regular Mornay sauce, no flour needed!
What Does Gratin Mean?
The term “gratin” originally comes from the French word “gratter”, which means “to scrape” or “to grate”.
These days, a gratin usually has either a cheese or breadcrumb topping, which is browned in the oven or under a broiler.
Cauliflower Gratin Recipe
This Cauliflower Gratin Recipe features tender cauliflower in a rich cheesy sauce with a crunchy buttery topping.
Don’t let the sauce intimidate you! It whips up in about 5 minutes and has a ton of delicious savory flavor.
How to Make Cauliflower Gratin
Start by cutting your cauliflower into florets. Cook it in boiling water for about 3 minutes and then drain well.
Make a quick cheese sauce – no flour needed here! Heat together cream cheese and milk and add a few seasonings like onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Once the cream cheese and milk mixture forms a creamy sauce, whisk in shredded cheese. I like to use Cabot Mac and Cheese Alpine and Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese for this recipe!
Stir the cauliflower into the cheese sauce and pour it into a gratin dish.
Crush Ritz crackers to make this buttery Ritz topping. Or to keep it keto, skip the cracker topping and sprinkle on a little grated Parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle the crushed Ritz on top. Bake until the topping is golden, and then enjoy!
Keto Cauliflower Gratin Recipe
For the keto version of this recipe, simply omit the buttery Ritz topping. You can instead sprinkle on a little more cheese, such as grated Parmesan, if you want the top to brown a bit.
What to Serve with Cauliflower Gratin?
I usually serve Cauliflower Gratin as a side dish for anything I’d serve with potatoes gratin or broccoli and cheese.
Here are a few suggestions for what to serve with Cauliflower Gratin:
More Cozy Comfort Food Side Dish Inspiration:
- Garlic Roasted Mushrooms Recipe
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Creamed Onions
- Butternut Squash Puree with Fontina Cheese, Fresh Thyme, and Brown Butter
- Stuffed Onions
- Creamy Keto Garlic Broccoli Mash
- Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe with Rosemary Brown Butter and Hazelnuts
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Cauliflower Gratin Recipe with Buttery Ritz Topping
Ingredients
Cauliflower Cheese Gratin:
- Olive oil spray
- 5 cups chopped cauliflower florets
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon Frank’s RedHot sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 8 ounce bag Cabot Mac and Cheese Alpine and Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese
Buttery Ritz Topping:
- 20 Ritz crackers
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/4 coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray the inside of a 1.5-quart casserole dish with olive oil spray.
- Cook the cauliflower florets in boiling water for 3 minutes, and then drain well.
- Whisk together the cream cheese, milk, Frank’s RedHot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and black pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the sauce is smooth, whisk in the shredded cheese a handful at a time until the sauce is smooth.
- Add the Ritz crackers to a zip-top plastic bag and crush. Add the thyme, black pepper, and butter, seal the bag, and shake it around to mix.
- Stir together the cauliflower and cheese sauce. Pour it into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the cracker topping evenly on top.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbling outside and the topping is golden, about 15 minutes.
Helpful Tips
- To make this ahead of time, you can make the cauliflower and cheese sauce up to 5 days in advance. Just hold off on adding the Ritz topping and baking it until the day you want to eat it.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
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