BAKED CAULIFLOWER VOLCANO (VEGETABLES AU GRATIN)

Baked Cauliflower Volcano (Vegetables Au Gratin) image

This is one of my favorite recipes. It earned me the 1st Prize and my first prize when I was still in my teens. This dish is most comforting to me. Serve hot with dinner rolls and pasta, or enjoy it with anything - rice, naan, tortillas, etc.

Provided by Rashmi

Categories Side Dish Vegetables Cauliflower

Time 1h16m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 ½ ounces processed cheese food, grated
⅜ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 small head cauliflower, stalk removed
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup minced onion
2 cups diced potato
½ cup chopped carrot
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup green peas
½ cup chopped green beans
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns, divided
salt to taste
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
3 ½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer until sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in processed cheese, heavy cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and Italian seasoning.
Prick whole cauliflower in several places with a fork. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook, uncovered, until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Drain.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potato, carrot, red bell peppers, peas, and green beans. Season with salt. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables start to release their moisture, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns.
Transfer vegetables to prepared baking dish. Place whole cauliflower in the center. Pour some sauce over cauliflower; fold remaining sauce in with vegetables. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Scatter Parmesan cheese on top. Sprinkle remaining 2 teaspoons peppercorns over cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 371.4 calories, Carbohydrate 28.3 g, Cholesterol 67.3 mg, Fat 22.1 g, Fiber 4.4 g, Protein 16.6 g, SaturatedFat 13.6 g, Sodium 657.9 mg, Sugar 7.3 g