Creamy, cheesy cauliflower and bacon bake

Want the cheesy, creamy goodness of a potato bake or macaroni and cheese, but want to feel healthier about what’s going in your mouth? Consider this delicious cauliflower bake, which gives you the best of both worlds!

My advice would be to pre-cook/par-boil the cauliflower to speed up the overall cooking process because, once you get a whiff of this dish, your tastebuds are going to want to be all over it!

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 small heads cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 2 cups milk
• 60g cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Blanch cauliflower for 3 minutes in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Drain and squeeze cauliflower of water.
2. To make cheese sauce, melt butter in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, roughly 1 minute, then add flour and stir until golden, at least a further 2 minutes. Add milk and bring to a low simmer, then add cream cheese, whisking until combined. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheddar until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a 23cm x 33cm dish, add drained cauliflower. Pour over cheese sauce and stir until combined. Stir in all but 1 tablespoon each of cooked bacon and green onions until combined, then top with remaining cheddar, bacon, and onions.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender and cheese is melted.