Baked Cauliflower Cheese and Fennel

4.94 from 16 votes

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!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: side

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

1 large fennel bulb
1/2 cauliflower
1.5 oz (40g) butter
2 heaped tbsp flour
3 cup (750ml) semi-skimmed milk
2 cups (220g) grated cheese (strong cheddar, fontina or gruyere)
1 pinch nutmeg
1 good pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

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.
Boil the fennel and cauliflower in a large pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes then drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
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).
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.
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. Garnish with fennel fronds (optional) serve.

Notes

What Can I Add To Baked Cauliflower Cheese?

Try these other variations;

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

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)

Nutrition Facts

Baked Cauliflower Cheese and Fennel

Amount Per Serving

Calories 266 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 60mg20%
Sodium 353mg15%
Potassium 386mg11%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 805IU16%
Vitamin C 9mg11%
Calcium 432mg43%
Iron 0.6mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition