Cauliflower, Cheese and White Bean Bake 

This is cauliflower cheese reinvented as a legitimate meal. “It’s just as comforting as the original, but with a touch more protein and a crisp breadcrumb topping,” says UK chef Jack Monroe.

For a more substantial meal though, add brown rice and stir through before baking.

Serves: 4, generously

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 1 tablespoons cooking oil, plus extra for greasing
• 1 x 400g tin of butter beans
• 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans
• 500ml chicken stock, or water and 1 stock cube
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard (any sort)
• a pinch of grated nutmeg
• 1 large head of cauliflower, or 450g frozen cauli florets
• 120g mature cheddar, or similar
• 2 slices of bread, blitzed or grated to crumbs, or 4 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method

First peel and finely slice your onion and add to a large nonstick pan. Add a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt and cook gently over low heat for five minutes to start to soften.

Drain and thoroughly rinse your beans and tip them into the pan. Cover with the stock (or water and a stock cube), then add the mustard and nutmeg. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn your oven on to 180°C/160°C fan and make sure there is a shelf in the middle (I often forget to check this and then have to try to manoeuvre it when it’s hotter than Hades). Lightly grease a decent-sized ovenproof dish – mine is 20cm x 20cm, so anything around this size – or a medium cake tin or pie dish, will do.

Remove the outer leaves of your cauliflower. Cut the heavy stalk from the bottom and chop the cauli into small florets, roughly the same size so they cook evenly. It makes it easier to eat as well! Add the cauli to the pan and stir through. Cover to retain as much of the remaining liquid as possible, then cook for 15 minutes, or until the cauli is soft and a fork gently prodded into it goes through with little to no resistance.

Tip the contents of the pan into your prepared dish. Grate cheese over the veg and top with breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes to crisp the crumbs and melt the cheese, then serve immediately with extra black pepper on top.

This will keep in the fridge for up to three days, covered or stored in an airtight container. Reheat to piping hot to serve. Not recommended for freezing due to the high dairy content – you can, but it doesn’t show it at its best.

(Patricia Niven/PA)

Good Food For Bad Days by Jack Monroe is published by Bluebird.

– With PA

Do you have a favourite way to eat cauliflower? Why not share it in the comments section below?

Also read: Cauliflower, Lemon and Chilli Pasta