Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

Name: Cheesy Baked Cauliflower
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 4 garlic cloves, finely grated; 2 rosemary sprigs; 2 cups heavy cream; Salt and black pepper; 1 head cauliflower (about 2 1/2 pounds); 3 medium shallots; 2 cups/6 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar

By Andy Baraghani

Published Nov. 6, 2024

Cheesy Baked Cauliflower — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(279)
Comments: Read comments

A person could, in theory, just pour cream over cauliflower, drape it with cheese, bake it and be happy with the results. But taking just a few minutes to infuse that cream with garlic and rosemary — or other herbs, or citrus peels, or fresh or dried chiles — creates a side dish that might actually overshadow the main. Once your cauliflower is bathed in the scented cream and sprinkled with cheese, make sure your baking dish is tightly covered with foil for the first part of the baking process, so the cauliflower steams and softens. After that, uncover and let the cauliflower continue to bake until the cheese has melted and crisped up. You can swap out the cauliflower for sliced potatoes, fennel or other vegetables, which would be equally impressive.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

4garlic cloves, finely grated
2rosemary sprigs
2cups heavy cream
Salt and black pepper
1head cauliflower (about 2½ pounds)
3medium shallots
2cups/6 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Combine garlic, rosemary and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring and watching carefully to make sure the cream doesn’t boil over, until the rosemary has slightly wilted and lost some of its color, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Pluck out and discard the rosemary sprigs.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower in half and break apart the florets, separating them from the thick stems; thinly slice the stems. (It’s OK if some of the florets are very small and some are big.) Cut in half any pieces that are larger than 3 inches. Quarter the shallots through their roots and remove their skins.
Step 3
Arrange the cauliflower and shallots in a 2-quart baking dish. Pour the garlicky cream over top. (Not all of the cauliflower will be buried under the cream, but that’s OK.) Scatter the cheese on top and cover tightly with foil.
Step 4
Bake until the cauliflower and shallots are tender and the edges are starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the top is deep golden brown, another 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.