Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce
Roasted cauliflower is coated in a creamy goat cheese sauce for an easy, low carb side dish.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 heads of fresh cauliflower, cleaned and chopped (or about 24oz cauliflower florets)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil *can also use butter
- 3 peeled garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half *can sub whole milk
- 4 oz fresh goat cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit. Toss cauliflower florets with about 1½ tablespoons of olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and garlic cloves. Spread florets on a baking sheet and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Toss the florets every 10-15 minutes to make sure they are browning evenly.
- About 10 minutes into the roasting, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and shallot and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring often so the garlic and shallots do not burn. Add broth, which should sizzle and boil a bit - turn down the heat if needed. Then add half & half (or milk) and bring to a very low simmer. Be sure to NOT bring this to a boil if using milk or it may curdle. Cook until slightly thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. The sauce will still be pretty thin, but a good way to tell if it's ready is to see if the mixture coats the spoon or leaves a path when you stir it.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the goat cheese until well-combined and smooth. The sauce should be creamy and thick enough to stick to the cauliflower. If you need to add more broth or half & half to thin it out, just add a tablespoon at a time. Taste and adjust any seasonings with salt or pepper.
- Add roasted cauliflower to the pan and stir to coat with the cheese sauce. Top with parsley and serve!
Notes
- Use fresh unflavored goat cheese (chèvre) or give herbed goat cheese a try if you love the original.
- If you hate goat cheese, Boursin garlic and chive or black pepper can be substituted, or cream cheese for a much lighter flavor.
- Roasting the cauliflower is an important step, don't skip it!
Nutrition
Serving: 8oz | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 716IU | Vitamin C: 110mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 2mg
