Cheesy Cauliflower Bake with Panko Crumbs

I had had my eye on this one for awhile. I haven't had cauliflower in what feels like forever and I really do enjoy it when it's made right. I plan on making something later this week so I figured I better hurry and get this up before I get too many things waiting in the wings to be posted like around Superbowl. Mom has been keeping me busier than usual, I'm pretty exhausted. Only 5 more days to go counting today. We went to the Zoo on Sunday, it was pretty busy. Mom's feet are bothering her so we aren't going to Galveston with Carrie and Tina today. I'll find something for us to do. Also, I HATE TIME CHANGE. DST can go away forever. Losing an hour just messes me up. So tired.

Anyway on with the cauliflower! It was really easy.

You'll need cauliflower, butter, olive oil, flour, some kind of grated cheese (not that much, I grated extra), milk, chicken broth, garlic, fresh or dried thyme, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard (or dry mustard if it's all you have) and salt and pepper. Oh and some Panko! Those are japanese breadcrumbs. They are very crunchy.

Cut your cauliflower into florets. I always thought cauliflower looked so neat. It looks like little trees kinda like broccoli but it's one solid mass. So neat.

Anyway, stick those in a microwavable bowl with 1 inch of water and cover with plastic wrap or something. Microwave for 3-5 minutes. I did mine on high for 4 and they came out still kind of crunchy, which is what you're looking for. The final baking doesn't effect them THAT much.

Make a roux by heating the oil and butter over medium heat. Now, I left it on the heat a bit too long while I did something and it clearly got too hot because my first roux burned less than 30 seconds after it went in. So I dumped it and started again. This time I used medium low heat and added the flour just after the butter finished melting. Muuuuch better.

Cook it for awhile then add your milk. It will still be pretty thick.

As you can see. Add in your minced garlic.

Add in the chicken stock, a little at a time, until the sauce thins out.

Reduce your heat to low and add your cheese, stirring to melt it. Add all your other seasonings and spices and whatever.

Put your cauliflower into a baking dish (I just grabbed one that looked big enough) and pour the sauce over, making sure you stir it around a little to get under all the veggies.

Mix your panko with enough olive oil to moisten the crumbs up nicely, about 1 tbsp.

Spread those babies on top and bake in the oven. Tada!

The verdict: It was good. Really good. And if I could ever find a low fat cheese that didn't suck it could be made even lower in fat. A cream sauce with only a little bit of milk and not a lot of butter? That is far better for you than this dish could have been. And it was delicious. It really was easy. Here's the recipe!

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake with Panko Crumbs (original from FoodieWife's blog here)

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese (or not low fat)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp dried or fresh thyme
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard (or dry mustard powder)
• kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup of Japanese Panko crumbs and 1 tbsp olive oil for topping

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cut the cauliflower into even-sized florets, rinse and drain. Microwave in a bowl, with about 1" of water, covered in plastic for 3-5 minutes (depending on your microwave power). Remove the plastic wrap and set aside - you want the florets to be slightly crunchy still.

For the sauce: Melt the butter and olive oil on medium heat. Whisk the flour in and cook for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes thicker. Add the milk and continue whisking. The sauce should get very thick. Add the minced garlic. Add the chicken stock, a little at a time, until the sauce has thinned out enough to be pourable. Reduce heat to low and add the grated cheese, stirring until it is completely melted. Add the thyme, then season carefully with salt and pepper, mustard and cayenne. Give the sauce one final taste and adjust final seasonings to your preference.

In a small bowl, drizzle enough olive oil to slightly moisten the panko crumbs. Regular bread crumbs are okay but panko crumbs are much crunchier. Combine with a fork and set aside. You can also add some thyme to the crumbs if you want.

Pour the cauliflower into a casserole dish (or individual ramekins). Carefully pour and distribute the cheese sauce evenly. Sprinkle the panko crumbs on top.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden and bubbly.

By using low-fat milk, healthier olive oil and butter, and reduced fat cheese (if you can find it), this otherwise very high caloric dish is equally flavorful and delicious.

Mmmm look at that.

I served it with some shredded beef brisket. Not homemade, don't get all excited. It was really really good. I hope you think so too!