Champagne Roasted Cauliflower

5 from 3 votes

Every bite has a hint of Champagne with it in this creamy cheese sauce. Cauliflower never tasted so good. It is make ahead and feeds a crowd so it is perfect for Holiday meals.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 153kcal

Author: Carolyn Hetke

Ingredients

Cauliflower

2 medium heads of cauliflower (about 8 cups)
400 mil champagne (approx 2 cups) See Note 1.
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic crushed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Sauce

2 Tbsps butter
¼ cup flour
1 cup whole milk
8 oz Gruyere cheese grated See note 2.
2 cups pan juices from roasting pan (reserve remainder if you want to make soup with leftovers) See Note 3.

Instructions

Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean and roughly chop cauliflower. Spray a 9 X13" oven proof dish and transfer cauliflower to the pan.
Mix the champagne, broth, garlic, thyme and seasonings together and pour over the cauliflower.
Cook covered for approximately 25 minutes. Stir, uncover and roast for a further 20-25 minutes.

Sauce

When you remove cauliflower from the oven drain off the liquid and reserve. You will need 2 cups to add to the sauce.
Melt butter in a large skillet, whisk in the flour.
When flour is incorporated whisk in 2 cups of the pan juices and the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Add the cheese and continue to whisk to keep the sauce smooth. Whisk for approximately 5 minutes. Sauce should have thickened to a creamy, cheesy consistency. Add the cauliflower to the skillet to coat with the sauce.
Transfer to your serving dish.

Notes

Note 1. Use any dry, white Sparkling wine. I use Henkell Trocken.

Note 2. Gruyere cheese has a signature flavour but I have also used other nutty cheeses like Jarlsberg.

Note 3. Save any pan juices beyond the 2 cups required for the main casserole. You can use the excess to puree with leftover casserole to make a delicious creamy cauliflower soup.

Nutrition