Inspired by potatoes au gratin, cauliflower gratin is essentially a cheesy cauliflower casserole with a cheese sauce base and a crispy bread crumb topping. Potato au gratin gets all the love during the holidays, but this easy cauliflower gratin paired with Kashmiri Garam is a mellow change of pace from the more robust Punjabi-style Garam Masala that most are familiar with and is a worthy and delicious substitute. We won’t go as far as to call it healthy, per se — there’s still plenty of cream, cheese, and breadcrumbs – but replacing starchy potatoes with cauliflower does lighten up the special occasion-worthy side dish significantly.
1 small yellow onion sliced into thin strips- root to tip
1 Tbs minced garlic
4 cups chopped cauliflower florets
4 cups button mushrooms cut in quarters
2 Tbs Kashmiri Garam masala
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups shredded gruyere or extra sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup bread crumbs
6 Tbs melted butter
- Preheat your oven to 375F
- While the oven is heating up, mix 2 Tablespoons butter, parmesan and breadcrumbs together and set aside.
- Now, heat the remaining butter in a Dutch oven.
- Once the butter is foaming add onions and garlic and saute until just soft.
- Stir in cauliflower, mushrooms, salt, pepper, kashmiri garam masala and cream.
- Bring the mixture to a slow simmer.
- Remove from heat, stir in the gruyere/cheddar and pour everything into a greased casserole dish. Cover with foil and cook for 25 minutes.
- Uncover, sprinkle the bread crumb and parmesan mixture evenly over the top and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
- Allow the gratin to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.