Alternatives to cauliflower cheese?

[Dr273]

Does anyone have any good, healthy alternatives to cauliflower cheese?

My 1-year old likes it, but cauliflower is a horror to cook with, and both me and my husband loathe it. I tried courgette with the green bit cut off, but she wasn't interested. Broccoli only works if boiled into a mush and evenly dispersed in the cheese, served as a sauce for pasta. Any better ideas?

Why is it a horror to cook with?

I have cauliflower and broccoli cheese at least once a week. I feel personally insulted by this 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Are you making it right?! It's delicious and a great food for little ones - high cal, loads of calcium, you can whack extra veg in.

Don’t mess with cauliflower cheese.

Are you looking for something else to smother in cheese sauce or something else to do with cauliflower?

Cauli is easy to cook

Are you asking what else you can have with cheese sauce?

Just make it for your baby if she likes it. I don't know why it's a horror to cook with but you and your husband don't have to eat it if you don't want to.

Mix up how you cook it - I avoid using cling film now because planet, but cauliflower is a breeze if you wrap the whole thing up and stick it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Cool, open and introduce to cheese sauce

Carrots. I put big chunks of carrot in my cauli cheese and it is great.
So I expect carrot cheese would be great too.

Or use frozen cauliflower? It's probably quite limp but your 1yo might like that?

If you're only cooking small amounts for a baby, frozen cauliflower makes great cauliflower cheese. The texture isn't quite the same as fresh but when it's baked in cheese sauce you can't tell. It's cheaper, less hassle to cook and less waste too. I combine frozen cauliflower and broccoli.

I'm confused as to what is hard about cauliflower or why broccoli has to be cooked to a mush, but anyway... Roast butternut squash is delicious in a cheese sauce

Cauliflower is one of the easiest veg to cook because it needs such little prep. What about are you finding difficult?

You can whack cheese sauce on any veg.

We also find broccoli works fine, just cook it briefly first then pour sauce over before baking with a little grated cheese on top. I also do a mixed veg version sometimes with carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, peas and whatever else I have in the fridge!

I make broccoli cheese all the time. Cook broccoli til a bit al dente, cover in cheese sauce and more grated cheese then in the oven or grill to brown. Easy peasy and broccoli doesn't end up mushy.

@CMOTDibbler

I'm confused as to what is hard about cauliflower or why broccoli has to be cooked to a mush, but anyway... Roast butternut squash is delicious in a cheese sauce

Yes!

Also, leeks. Delicious.

Not sure why the broccoli has to be cooked to a mush or why any of it is a horror to cook? Just steam the broccoli and cauli, make the cheese sauce, pour it over the whole in-tact florets in a dish and grill.

I do sometimes add fried mushrooms and little pieces of bacon as well. Or peas.

I suspect you would like cauliflower if you knew how to cook it properly. Both cauli and broccoli are tastiest lightly steamed, if you don’t have a steamer then just cover the bottom of the pan with boiling water and put a tight fitting lid on, cook for 5 min and it’s ready when a knife only just goes through it.

One of my go to dishes is macaroni cheese, you can make it from scratch in 2 mins longer than the time it takes to cook the macaroni.

10 mins if you grill it with tomato and extra cheese on top.