The best baked cauliflower cheese made with slices of fennel and baked in an absolutely delicious cheese sauce. It's topped with, wait for it...more cheese and comes out of the oven bubbling, golden and smelling so delicious it's hard to wait before getting stuck in!

Baked cauliflower cheese, the ultimate comfort food side dish.

Cauliflower cheese is a side dish I grew up with as part of a Sunday roast which consisted of either roast beef or roast chicken and a whole array of veggie side dishes. My Mum would pull out all the stops (and still does) but the thing we all loved the most was the cheesy, golden, baked cauliflower cheese.

It's just pure comfort food and pretty much goes with any main course (almost) I mean, it's even great on its own. If someone plonked a plate of baked cauliflower cheese down in front of me for dinner and nothing else well, I would not complain one bit.

I added a twist to this recipe by adding fennel and believe it or not baked cauliflower and fennel gratin is a delicious side dish from the North of Italy. They love their cheese up there and maybe I've gone a little overboard compared to the Italians but that's just me.

What Can I Add To Baked Cauliflower Cheese?

Bacon
Spring onions
Leeks
Broccoli (baked cauliflower and broccoli cheese, so good!)
Different cheeses such as blue cheese (because why not?)
You can also top it with breadcrumbs

How To Make Baked Cauliflower Cheese With Fennel - Step By Step

First, cut the green tops off the fennel (keep the fronds for garnish) cut it into thick slices and break the cauliflower into small florets. You'll need to cut the stalk off the cauliflower first then it's easy to break and cut apart (photo 1).

Boil the fennel and cauliflower in a large pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes then drain and set aside.

To make the cheese sauce, add the butter to a saucepan over a medium heat, once melted add the flour and stir to a thick paste. Let it cook for 1 minute whilst stirring (this cooks out the floury taste) (photo 2).

Next, add 1 cup (250ml) of milk whilst whisking to avoid any lumps (keep whisking until it thickens then add 1 more cup of milk. Whisk again until it thickens then add the final cup with a good pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Once that starts to thicken add 1 cup (110g) of grated cheese and stir until it melts, turn off the heat (photos 3-6).

Add the fennel and cauliflower to a large baking dish and pour over the cheese sauce (photos 7 & 8). Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and top the baked cauliflower cheese with the remaining grated cheese. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden, melted and bubbling. Serve.

The Best Cheeses To Use To Make Cauliflower Cheese

For this recipe I used grated fontal cheese which is a common cheese found in Italy, it's very similar to Fontina cheese which would be another good choice but it's a little pricier. Here is a list of good cheeses you could use;

Strong cheddar
Smoked cheddar such as Applewood
A mix of cheddar and blue cheese such as Gorgonzola
Try topping the baked cauliflower with a mix of mozzarella and cheddar
Fontina
Fontal
Gruyere
Parmesan (use one of the above cheeses for topping)

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