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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:
ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 28/10/2025 18:34

Great thread OP - as reading through now I’m getting lots of ideas of other things to add to cauliflower cheese!

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 28/10/2025 18:24

As a child we regularly had it for our tea on Saturdays, but it was as a light meal as we ate our main meal at lunch on weekends. For some reason mum served it with Ritz crackers!

Now I tend to have it with a baked potato as a main meal. Or occasionally if I’m attempting low carb, then I have it as a side with fish.

What I find odd is people having it as a side with their roast, and then putting gravy on it.

AmethystAnnotation · 28/10/2025 18:20

You need a third choice:

  • Cauliflower cheese is the ruination of cheese and cauliflower

I don't want the wretched gunk anywhere near my plate whether a side or a main.

LivingDeadGirlUK · 28/10/2025 18:19

Apparently when my Nan and Grandad were first married he was incredulous that dinner was cauliflower cheese, as dinner should have meat apparently. She pointed out he would need to get a better job if he wanted meat every night.

EleanorReally · 28/10/2025 18:19

Justcallmedaffodil · 28/10/2025 11:27

Always a side dish in our house. I feel it’s important for a main meal to be balanced and there’s not enough protein, or more importantly fibre, for it to be a main meal on its own.

i think cauliflower has plenty of fibre

EleanorReally · 28/10/2025 18:17

MasterBeth · 28/10/2025 08:51

"Discovered a recipe"?

It's cauliflower cheese with some pasta in it! Who needs a recipe for that?

Show quote history

well it is always good to discover other recipes

HarryVanderspeigle · 28/10/2025 18:12

Oohh that sounds amazing! Now I want that for dinner. Never seen a pole at exactly 50/50 before, so clearly contentious!

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 28/10/2025 18:01

MasterBeth · 28/10/2025 08:51

"Discovered a recipe"?

It's cauliflower cheese with some pasta in it! Who needs a recipe for that?

Show quote history

In this house it’s a regular, known as ‘Cauli-Mac’.

Calliopespa · 28/10/2025 17:56

DeanElderberry · 28/10/2025 16:55

Cauliflower cheese (or 'au gratin' in a lot of recipe books) was always a main meal. The idea of serving a vegetable in a cheese sauce with a roast seems weird in the extreme, and I suspect only started to happen (in the last 20, maybe 30 years) when buying it ready-made became possible. Before then we either served things cooked around the meat, or simply steamed or boiled vegetables dressed with a little butter.

It's a very well balanced meal, mostly vegetable, first class protein from the milk and cheese, and a little starch from the flour in the sauce and the crumb topping. If you need more ballast than that, mashed or baked potato, or bread, can provide it.

Meals where the main protein was cheese never used to be seen as unusual - macaroni cheese, cheese pudding, cheese soufflé - all much encouraged during WW2, but there in the pre-war cook books.

"Ballast!" 😂
That made me feel full just reading the word used that way!

Hadalifeonce · 28/10/2025 17:47

I do it with big chunks of ham, topped with caramelised onions and breadcrumbs as a main meal.

ShortColdandGrey · 28/10/2025 17:45

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.

I have it exactly the same as you. Unfortunately I am the only that eats it so I don't get it very often.

ginasevern · 28/10/2025 17:41

I've often served it as a main but with chips. Cauliflower cheese and chips is the food of gods. Otherwise I think it would normally be viewed as a side dish. But why not with crusty bread instead of chips.

DecemberPlusFebruary · 28/10/2025 17:36

Main dish. Protein, veg, carbs. Also v yummy.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 28/10/2025 17:34

Main course to me. I grew up with a veggie dad though.
Side to DH.
DC don’t like it (weirdos).

NeverCouldGetTheHangOfThursdays · 28/10/2025 17:29

I usually serve it as a side dish but also love it on its own with crusty bread, so YANBU.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 28/10/2025 17:29

The only trouble with it, is that too many people overcook the cauliflower, and/or don’t drain it properly (preferably it should steam-dry for a minute or two) and are either too stingy with cheese for the sauce, or use wishy-washy mild Cheddar - or both.

soupyspoon · 28/10/2025 17:23

Justcallmedaffodil · 28/10/2025 15:40

I’ve just worked out based on a standard portion from the recipe we normally use and it’s about 15g protein and 6-7g of fibre. That’s about half what I’d aim for of both in an evening meal.

Show quote history

Thats really low, what are you putting in it and how big is the portion? A bog standard ready meal is around 20-30g of protien which is the optimum amount of protein the body can effectively process in one sitting.

Calliopespa · 28/10/2025 17:20

ApolloandDaphne · 28/10/2025 17:12

I sometimes do a mix of cauliflower and macaroni cheese and have it as a main course. Yum.

Yes I have begun to load our macaroni cheese with cauliflower and actually it improves it.

Calliopespa · 28/10/2025 17:19

BuffaloCauliflower · 27/10/2025 22:17

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

Me to. I have only ever seen it as a side, but if macaroni cheese can be a main, I don't honestly see why not. Might try it for us this weekend as our dc like cauliflower.

Good idea!

ApolloandDaphne · 28/10/2025 17:12

I sometimes do a mix of cauliflower and macaroni cheese and have it as a main course. Yum.

LeftieRightsHoarder · 28/10/2025 17:10

A main course in my long-ago childhood, when people relied on cheese and eggs for affordable protein. In recent years I notice it’s become a regular side in a pub Sunday roast.

MyLimeGuide · 28/10/2025 17:04

Exemptfromcontent · 28/10/2025 15:42

I’ve never had it as a main, always as a side… but cauliflower cheese with crusty bread for dinner? That’s what I’ll be having tonight now so thanks OP!

With sly bacon bits in the mix?

LeftieRightsHoarder · 28/10/2025 17:03

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.

Oooh, I’ll be trying that, thanks!

DeanElderberry · 28/10/2025 16:55

Cauliflower cheese (or 'au gratin' in a lot of recipe books) was always a main meal. The idea of serving a vegetable in a cheese sauce with a roast seems weird in the extreme, and I suspect only started to happen (in the last 20, maybe 30 years) when buying it ready-made became possible. Before then we either served things cooked around the meat, or simply steamed or boiled vegetables dressed with a little butter.

It's a very well balanced meal, mostly vegetable, first class protein from the milk and cheese, and a little starch from the flour in the sauce and the crumb topping. If you need more ballast than that, mashed or baked potato, or bread, can provide it.

Meals where the main protein was cheese never used to be seen as unusual - macaroni cheese, cheese pudding, cheese soufflé - all much encouraged during WW2, but there in the pre-war cook books.

Screwyoucolin · 28/10/2025 16:54

Sartre · 28/10/2025 16:26

Love how polarising this is- very British!

It’s a side dish. It’s the only way I really like to eat cauliflower but it’s always a side for a Sunday roast.

Never seen MN also torn!!!