Cauliflower cheese as a main meal?

[anonymousbird]

I have not much in the fridge, we go away on Thursday so want to use up what we have to hand. I have cauliflower and broccoli and bacon, plenty of milk and cheese so thinking I fancy a cauli/broc cheese type affair with chunks of bacon thrown in. I even have breadcrumbs for a crunchy toppin.

However, does it need something with it - doesn't quite feel like a "meal" on its own? We normally have it as a side dish.. what would you put with it? Crusty Bread perhaps?

Thanks!

We used to have cauliflower cheese as a main meal all the time growing up. I've given it to my DC's a couple of times and they enjoyed it though DP thought it was a bit weird having it as a main meal .
It sounds lovely with bacon and yes crusty bread sounds perfect to go with it .

Have you got pasta, i would make a cauliflower/ pasta/ bacon/ cheesy bake sort of dish to make it more of a meal and more filling, otherwise you are right its more of a side dish.

Ooh yummy! Can I come round too?! Sounds good as a meal on it's own to me!

ooh yum
yes its fine as a meal

Peas!

Sounds lovely i used to have it with jacket pots as well.

Or do it like Jamie Oliver does and stick macaroni in as well - so you end up with a macaroni/Califlower Cheese with a crispy topping his version is wonderful and that includes bacon and breadcrumbs.

I do it as a main meal too.

I had that as a main meal the other day! (Well, cauli & Broccoli cheese and then bacon on the side) and it filled me up no problem :)

Yes to jacket potatoes. Or pasta stirred in with it. (peas are lovely too)

Rice would probably work if you haven't any pasta.

I think that it needs a bit more stodge with it (breadcrumbs not quite enough) unless your family have very small appetites?

yes to main meal but I boil some new potatoes and add that to mine
(otherwise fine with bread). wouldn't personally fancy it with pasta but that's just my personal taste

It's nice as a main meal served with roast potatoes. You need something carby to go with it imo, and roast potatoes go really well.

Ooo, quite a variety of views! Didn't realise it would provoke quite a detailed discussion!

If we hadn't had pasta last night, I agree that chucking in some pasta would certainly suit us, we both love it, however, I'll save that one for next time I think.

Thanks all, most helpful. I think we will go for it with some nice french bread.

I love cauliflower cheese. No worse than having maccaroni cheese as a main meal. In fact, I did have it last night (whith roast veg and french bread).

It is also quite yummy if you pop some red pesto in the bottom of the dish before adding the veg and cheese (and bacon) sauce. Ity bubbles up nicell and gives it a really nice taste.

What OMDB said.

My MIL also puts quartered hard-boiled eggs in, which is delicious if you like egg- though I like the sound of bacon in it! Leek would work too I think.

your ingredients certainly make it up to a meal.
If you're worried, though, I notice you don't want to add pasta, but maybe you could serve it with risotto rice?

(or even have rice pudding for afters - quite often, if we don't think we've covered all the food groups in our dinner, we have a pudding that makes up for it)

I do this as a main meal regularly - with the addition of either macaroni or potatoes, and onion or leek - the leek is really tasty! Like the idea of adding hard boiled eggs too.

Prob too late now but Delia has a great broccoli souffle recipe that I use a lot when I have broccoli to use up and you can do with other veg too - might work with cauli.

We quite often have cauli cheese as a main meal though, sometimes with sausages or bacon on the side. Does help that DH is veggie though.

I know this sounds a bit weird - but one of my family's fav meals is cauli cheese (made with applewood cheese) a fried egg and homemade potato wedges. It is lovely, even if you don't fancy that I would urge anyone to try the applewood cheese sauce!

Blue cheese works well in the sauce too.

I made the jamie Oliver macaroni cauliflower cheese tonight. It was good but IMO very rich with all the creme fraiche - would make normal cheese sauce next time.

Great Aunty serves it as a main meal with slices of crispy grilled bacon.