What can I make with cauliflower and cheese?
Cauliflower and Cheese carries a dish on its own. Recipes using cauliflower and cheese are below, plus notes on melting it without turning it stringy or greasy.
12 recipes with cauliflower and cheese
Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki)
Tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, olives and a slab of feta with olive oil.
Mediterranean10m4
Wedge Salad
Chilled iceberg wedge with creamy blue cheese and bacon.
American10m4
Smash Burger
Thin, ultra-crispy burger smashed on a hot griddle.
American10m4
Street Corn (Elote)
Grilled corn slathered in creamy chile-lime sauce and cotija.
Mexican15m4
Monte Cristo Sandwich
Ham, turkey, and Swiss battered and griddled French-toast style.
American20m4Smashed Cheeseburger
Thin, crispy-edged beef patties with American cheese on a toasted bun.
American20m4
Loaded Nachos
Tortilla chips baked with cheese, beans, and every topping.
Tex-Mex20m4
Cobb Salad
Chopped salad with chicken, egg, avocado, bacon, and blue cheese.
American20m4Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Ultra-creamy macaroni with sharp cheddar and gruyère.
American25m6Arepas
Griddled corn cakes stuffed with cheese or meat.
Venezuelan25m6Reuben Sandwich
A classic sandwich filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, and melted Swiss cheese, grilled to perfection.
American25m4
Patty Melt
Griddled rye sandwich with beef patty, caramelized onions, and Swiss.
American35m4
Cooking with cauliflower and cheese without splitting or clumping
- 1Bring cauliflower and cheese closer to room temperature before it meets heat; cold dairy in a hot pan is what curdles.
- 2Add it off the heat or on the lowest setting, stirring constantly.
- 3A teaspoon of flour or cornstarch stabilises a sauce and keeps it glossy.
- 4Salt and acid go in at the end - both encourage splitting when added early.
What goes well with cauliflower and cheese
Cauliflower and Cheese is at its best with bread, tomato, basil, black pepper, honey and pasta. Any two or three of those, plus cauliflower and cheese, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing cauliflower and cheese
Keep cauliflower and cheese in the main body of the fridge, not the door, where the temperature swings most. Wrap cheese in paper rather than plastic so it can breathe. Hard cheeses freeze acceptably for cooking; fresh dairy does not freeze well.
Substituting cauliflower and cheese
If you are out of cauliflower and cheese, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Cauliflower and Cheese recipes: common questions
- What can I make with cauliflower and cheese and not much else?
- Plenty. With cauliflower and cheese plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest cauliflower and cheese recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute cauliflower and cheese?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover cauliflower and cheese?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover cauliflower and cheese without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.