Cauliflower Gratin Recipe | Easy Keto Side Dish

This recipe was originally published here on Oct. 2017as part of my keto diet at the time. This cauliflower gratin recipe is a super tasty easy keto side dish. I’ve literally had people (Tom, you totally made my day! 😄) stop me in the grocery store to tell me this is now a Thanksgiving stable on their table.

Cauliflower Gratin Recipe

This low-carb gluten free side dish is in one word: luscious. It’s creamy, cheesy, rich, and ultra-satisfying with only 21 net carbs in a serving. What makes it so wonderful is its smooth texture with firm bites of cauliflower seasoned with nutmeg and thyme.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds cauliflower, chopped into cauliflower florets (2 small heads or 1 large)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup milk cold
• 2 cups heavy cream heated
• 1 tablespoon freeze-dried shallots or 1 shallot minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg grated
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese or swiss, grated and divided
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put chopped cauliflower into a baking dish.
3. Mix the cornstarch with the cold milk until it is smooth. Pour the cream into the saucepan and put it over low heat. Whisk in the cornstarch milk mixture and shallots.
4. Turn up the heat to medium and whisk constantly until it is thick and bubbling. Then turn off the heat.
5. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, parmesan, shallot, and 1/2 cup of Gruyere. Stir well.
6. Pour over cauliflower. Sprinkle the remaining Gruyere and a grind or 2 of black pepper over the top.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and the top is golden.

Cauliflower Gratin Recipe Notes:

This recipe was inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe. For a lower-fat option check out Ina Garten’s Cauliflower au Gratin.

For extra ooey-gooey stretchy cheesiness: shred your own swiss cheese from a block.

Why doesn’t pre-shredded cheese melt very well? Packaged shredded cheese is coated with potato starch so it doesn’t stick together in transit and on the shelf. The starch also keeps it from being extra stretchy when it melts.

This recipe calls for cornstarch to thicken the sauce.  If you’re not opposed to gluten or if you don’t have cornstarch on hand this is an alternative way to thicken the sauce:

1. Over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in the pan, then add 1 1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. (This is called a roux.)
2. Stir them together until the flour bubbles and just starts to turn a wee bit darker.   
3. Heat the cream and milk together in the microwave until hot to the touch.
4. Add the milk and cream mixture to the rue (flour/butter mixture) and stir until it thickens up.
5. Now you can pick up the above recipe by adding the spices and cheeses.  Enjoy!

Variations

Try this exact same method but instead of using cauliflower, try it with spaghetti squash, zucchini, butternut squash, broccoli, or summer squash.

You can also top it with either crushed crispy fried onions or bread crumbs. If you top it with 2/3 cup bread crumbs make a quick garlic butter by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a small dish with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Pour this over the bread crumbs and bake.

Can you make this Keto Cauliflower Gratin recipe ahead?

Refrigerate

YES! You can make low-carb side dish and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Cover it with plastic wrap or foil and put it in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.

When you are ready to serve it, cover the top with foil and bake it in a 300F or 150C oven for 30-45 minutes.

Freezer method

YES, you can freeze cauliflower gratin too! It keeps great in the freezer for up to 3 months. After baking it, let it cool completely, then cover it all the way around tightly with aluminum foil.

When you are ready to serve it let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake it covered in a 300F or 150C oven for 30-45 minutes. Uncover it for the last 15 minutes of baking.

If you are baking it in a frozen state, keep the top covered with foil and bake it at 300F or 150C for 60-75 minutes.

For extra cheesiness, sprinkle 1 cup shredded swiss cheese over the top during the last 20 minutes of baking, uncovered.

Rave Reviews

Before I discovered Cauliflower Gratin there were days when I could have seriously stuck my whole head in a vat of mashed potatoes.  I’d dream of swimming pools filled with Fritos.  Now that I have this recipe in my arsenal, those days are over.

I’ve had other people share stories with me about how much their friends and family love this low-carb vegetable recipe. My parents served this at a dinner party and literally caught one of their guests eating the remnants in the kitchen while everyone else was eating dessert in the dining room.

To me, that was the best compliment ever!

Great Press for the Cabbage Flower

Many people still overlook and misunderstand it.  To the unenlightened eye, it’s the uninspired white mass on the vegetable tray.  But once you see its true potential as a flavor and fat carrier, you’ll see it’s nothing short of a miracle.  Fortunately, it is getting more and more great press. 

Check out what Alton Brown says in his Best of 2016 Podcast.  

Ingredient of the Year: Cauliflower…again.
This cruciferous cousin of the cabbage continues its campaign to conquer the entire culinary world and that’s OK with me. This year I had cauliflower nachos for the first time, General Tso’s cauliflower for the first time and buffalo cauliflower for the first time. And yet…and yet, still, home cooks aren’t as into it as they should be. Let’s change that.
Runners up: tinned fish and persimmons

You can rice it, which is cool.  You can mash it with cream and butter, that’s better.  But when you bake it with cream, cheese, and nutmeg!  Oh la la!!!  Hello Gorgeous!!!  Who needs a spud now???  Yeah, me neither.

*What exactly is Ketosis?  The metabolic state of ketosis simply means that the quantity of ketone bodies in the blood has reached higher-than-normal levels.

When the body is in a ketogenic state, lipid energy metabolism is intact. The body will start breaking down its own body fat to fuel the body’s normal, everyday functions.  In short, the body becomes a fat burner instead of a sugar (carbohydrate) burner.  

Other Low Carb Sides

Roasted Asparagus with tomatoes and feta (ready in less than 30 minutes!)

Creamy Brussels Sprouts (Only 1 carb per serving!)

5 from 6 votes

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Cauliflower Gratin Recipe

Thick and creamy with a hint of nutmeg, this recipe hits the spot every time.  It is simply luscious! and seems almost too good to be true since it’s low carb and gluten-free.  You can’t help but go back for 3rd and 4th! | www.lakesidetable.com

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, French

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 430 kcal

Author Madalaine

Ingredients

• 3 pounds cauliflower* chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 cup milk cold
• 2 cup heavy cream heated
• 1 tablespoon freeze dried shallots or 1 shallot minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg grated
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese or swiss, grated
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1 teaspoon salt

Equipment

• measuring spoons and cups
• medium heavy sauce pan
• wooden spoon
• whisk
• casserole dish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put chopped cauliflower into a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
3. Mix the corn starch with the cold milk until it is smooth. Pour the cream into the sauce pan and put it over low heat. Whisk in the corn starch milk mixture and shallots. Turn up the heat to medium and whisk constantly until it is thick and bubbling. Turn off the heat.
4. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, parmesan, and 1/2 cup of Gruyere. Stir well. Pour over cauliflower. Sprinkle remaining Gruyere and a grind or 2 of black pepper over the top.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and the top is golden.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by Ina Garten For a lower fat option check out Ina Garten’s Cauliflower au Gratin.

*3lbs of cauliflower is approximately 2 medium heads of cauliflower.

The cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce.  If you’re not opposed to gluten or if you don’t have cornstarch on hand this is an alternative way to thicken the sauce:

1. Over medium heat, first melt 1 1/2 tablespoon butter in the pan, then add 1 1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour. (This is called a rue.)
2. Stir them together until the flour bubbles and just starts to turn a wee bit darker.   
3. Heat the cream and milk together in the microwave until hot to the touch.
4. Add the milk and cream mixture to the rue (flour/butter mixture) and stir until it thickens up.
5. Now you can pick up the above recipe by adding the spices and cheeses.  Enjoy!

 

Nutrition Facts

Cauliflower Gratin Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 430 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 19g119%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 8g

Cholesterol 93mg31%

Sodium 616mg27%

Potassium 488mg14%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 9803IU196%

Vitamin C 19mg23%

Calcium 364mg36%

Iron 2mg11%

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