Cauliflower Au Gratin or Cauliflower Cheese is a traditional side dish made with a savory cheese sauce and topped with breadcrumbs. For our Keto Cauliflower Au Gratin, we use crushed pork rinds instead of breadcrumbs. This gives the baked cauliflower a nice crispy top. Hey, with those ingredients you could even call this a dish a Keto Mac & Cheese!
Preparing the Cauliflower
Prior to baking, we want to remove some of the moisture from the cauliflower. The easiest way to do this is to steam the cauliflower in the microwave for a few minutes. To start, cut the cauliflower into florets and place in a microwave safe bowl. Do not add water! Microwave for about 5 minutes and then place the cauliflower in a colander to cool and drain.
(Cauliflower Au Gratin with Smoked Gouda and Turmeric)
Cheese
For the recipe listed below, I went for a more radiational method by using gruyère and parmesan-reggiano. Feel free to use any cheese that you like including cheddar cheese or smoked gouda. For our Keto Cauliflower Au Gratin, we add most of the cheese to our Keto Béchamel Sauce. You’ll want your sauce to be thick enough to cover the back of a spoon. If you want your sauce to have more color (like the Cauliflower Gratin above), you can add 1 tsp of turmeric if you’re not using cheddar cheese.
(Keto Béchamel Sauce)
The Method
To start, steam your cauliflower. While that is cooking, preheat your oven and prepare the Keto Béchamel Sauce. In a large casserole dish, layer the bottom with the sauce, the steamed cauliflower florets and finally top with remaining cheese / crushed pork rinds. Bake in a preheated oven at 425°F for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the top is brown and slightly crispy.
Keto Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 Medium-Large Head of Cauliflower. Cut into Florets. About 650 grams.
- 60 grams Gruyère Cheese Grated.
- 1/4 Cup Finley Crushed Pork Rinds.
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Chopped Parsley or Chives Garnish.
Keto Béchamel Sauce
- 113 grams Butter Grated.
- 30 grams Gruyère Cheese Grated.
- 30 grams Parmesan-Reggiano Grated.
- 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 tsp Ground Turmeric Optional, For Color.
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
- Salt To Taste.
- Pepper To Taste.
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 425°F.
- Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes to steam . Do not add water!
- Place steamed cauliflower in a colander and allow to drain.
- While the cauliflower is cooling, start preparing the béchamel sauce.
- In a saucepan over medium heat add butter.
- Once butter is melted, add water and heavy whipping cream.
- Whisk in xanthan gum and slowly add in grated cheese while continuing to whisk.
- Once sauce thickens and is heated through, set aside. About 2-3 minutes.
- Pat dry the steamed cauliflower to remove excess liquid.
- In an oven safe baking dish, add half the sauce to the bottom of the dish.
- Add the cauliflower to the baking dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Pour the remainder of the béchamel sauce on top of the cauliflower.
- Sprinkle 60 grams of the gruyère cheese on top of the cauliflower, followed by the crushed pork rinds.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on top of the dish.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Top with dried parsley or chives.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- 333 Calories
- 5.4g Carbohydrates
- 1.2g Fiber
- 31.3g Fat
- 8.6g Protein
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve tried our Keto Cauliflower Au Gratin! If you’re looking for more keto or low carb recipes, visit our recipe page!
