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Original poster

The Cauliflower Cheese Conundrum

390 replies

Speckly · 27/10/2025 22:09

Earlier a friend I was out with asked me what we were having for dinner tonight. When I replied “Cauliflower cheese and crusty bread”, she said “With what?” When I told her that was our dinner she looked horrified and told me cauliflower cheese is a side dish. As kids we often had cauliflower cheese for our dinner (I’m early 50s) but I’m interested to know, is that weird? Husband and I usually have this as a main about once a month (not vegetarian btw). When I asked DH his views on the subject tonight, he said he enjoys it but that his family never really had it when he was young so he couldn’t comment. If it’s relevant at all, we live in Kent. So is it ok to eat cauliflower cheese as a main or should it only ever be served as a side dish?

YABU - Cauliflower cheese is a side dish. You need to jazz it up with some other stuff!

YANBU - Cauliflower cheese is a decent main course - ignore the haters.

OP posts:
Driftingawaynow · 27/10/2025 22:30

A main. With some Stilton in

StripyHorse · 27/10/2025 22:30

I grew up with it as a meal too.

There is one pub we sometimes go to for lunch, and DD1 and I often order cauliflower cheese (admittedly on the sides) and just have a few chips with it.

Ihad2Strokes · 27/10/2025 22:29

Im on the fence.

i eat it a LOT in the winter, but with lots of different veg in it.

I AM vegetarian & live alone thought.

Though Ex & I would have it for dinner (with lots of different veg) & my best friend has it/makes it for dinner too.

but just cauli & for 'others' probably not.

WrigglyDonCat · 27/10/2025 22:28

Extremely unreasonable as either a main or side as cauliflower is basically just something scraped out of the devil's arse crack.

Adding cheese, one of greatest human discoveries of all time, to cauliflower is almost enough to make me become a supporter of capital punishment.

familyissues12345 · 27/10/2025 22:27

We had it as a side with sausage, mash, peas and gravy tonight - disclaimer, said CC was consumed before gravy hit my plate. I can’t be doing with mixing! Envy

Im also happy to have it as a main meal - Love cauliflower cheese!

MagicLoop · 27/10/2025 22:27

I've only ever had it as a side dish, but I absolutely love it and would happily eat nothing but a big plate of it on its own (if I hadn't become dairy intolerant Angry)

soupyspoon · 27/10/2025 22:26

aperollingintotheweekend · 27/10/2025 22:22

It can be if you’re not fussed on eating much protein. I’d definitely have to add some kind of meat to it if it was a regular dinner, but on occasion I’d scarf it for dinner just fine. Dairy has some protein yes but more fat so it’s not particularly high in protein

Jesus, enough with the protein thing already.

How much protein do you think is the optimum amount in a meal?
How much protein do you think is in it?
The fat content doesnt minimise the protein in it
Not every meal has to have exactly the same amount of carbs, protein or fats as all the other meals in the day.

StewkeyBlue · 27/10/2025 22:25

It was a main dish when I was growing up, but I think we had potatoes with it. And maybe a rasher of crispy bacon.

I have never cooked it as part of a roast.

soupyspoon · 27/10/2025 22:24

mamagogo1 · 27/10/2025 22:17

I like it with a roast, it contains little protein so I don’t think it’s a meal in its own right

It doesnt contain 'little protein' at all, a main meal size portion will have around 20 grams of protein in it. The optimum amount to consume in one go. That doesnt include the bread.

How much protein did you think it had?

Timeforabitofpeace · 27/10/2025 22:24

And there’s plenty of protein in cheese sauce.( 11-16g per moderate portion ). For that matter, as a nation we eat rather a lot of protein.

Timeforabitofpeace · 27/10/2025 22:23

It’s totally normal as a main. I think it’s a bit ott as a side dish, especially alongside a different sauce -gravy.

aperollingintotheweekend · 27/10/2025 22:22

It can be if you’re not fussed on eating much protein. I’d definitely have to add some kind of meat to it if it was a regular dinner, but on occasion I’d scarf it for dinner just fine. Dairy has some protein yes but more fat so it’s not particularly high in protein

FrodoBiggins · 27/10/2025 22:22

However you eat it, make sure when you cook it you sing Billy Ocean 'Carribean Queen (Love on the Run)' but change the lyrics to "Cauliflower Cheese".
Really helps the flavour ime

soupyspoon · 27/10/2025 22:21

BeeCucumber · 27/10/2025 22:16

It can be both. Main meal with crusty bread or as a side with a roast. I usually make mine with cauliflower and leeks - with a pound of mousetrap cheddar in the sauce and the same amount of grated cheddar on the top.

Doesnt sound as if you have enough cheese in it to me?

FrodoBiggins · 27/10/2025 22:20

mamagogo1 · 27/10/2025 22:17

I like it with a roast, it contains little protein so I don’t think it’s a meal in its own right

Cheese and milk both have protein in. Although I think it's probably slightly undermined by the high fat per gram content tbf.

SmellsLikeTeenArmpit · 27/10/2025 22:20

mamagogo1 · 27/10/2025 22:17

I like it with a roast, it contains little protein so I don’t think it’s a meal in its own right

Cheese? Milk? Both fairly high protein, surely.

We're veggie, so for us it's a main meal but with roasties and other veg. Usually on a Sunday, followed by crumble and custard.

Might do it next Sunday actually now I'm thinking about it!

soupyspoon · 27/10/2025 22:18

Well guess what OP and other people - there are no food rules saying what is or isnt a main meal or a side dish

Imagine that?

That you can eat something as a main meal and some one else might prefer a smaller portion of it as a side dish?

This sort of food snobbery does my head in and Ive posted about this in various threads where people will turn their noses up at egg on toast or beans on toast or soup for a meal and say its not good enough

What makes something a main meal? Primarily size

There is almost no difference what so ever between having macaroni cheese (carb, cheese) to having cauliflower cheese with bread (carb, cheese but added bonus the veg)

Beautiful dinner. Make sure you put mustard in the cheese sauce.

TheKeatingFive · 27/10/2025 22:18

Could be either, but I love it with ham

mamagogo1 · 27/10/2025 22:17

I like it with a roast, it contains little protein so I don’t think it’s a meal in its own right

BuffaloCauliflower · 27/10/2025 22:17

Never encountered it as a main dish but that sounds perfectly fine!

FrodoBiggins · 27/10/2025 22:17

FaitesVosJeux · 27/10/2025 22:11

Always a main dish here - baked with triangles of sourdough round the edges which go all half cheesy half toasty. Food of the Gods.

Oh HELLO

ForTipsyFinch · 27/10/2025 22:17

I love it, but it’s a side for me.

GoodVibesHere · 27/10/2025 22:17

It's lovely, but it's a side dish not a main meal! I'd compare it to eating coleslaw as a main meal.

captainoctopus · 27/10/2025 22:17

Main dish in our house.

Idontjetwashthefucker · 27/10/2025 22:16

Side dish but definitely not on a roast...cheese sauce & gravy 🤮