Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese

Whole roasted cauliflower with melted cheese in a cast iron pan.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese

Deliciously tender whole roasted cauliflower topped with crème fraîche and melted cheese. Sprinkle some thyme on top and you end up with the most amazing low-carb side dish EVER!

Course Side

Cuisine American, International

Keyword whole roasted cauliflower

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 186kcal

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1 cup grated cheese (I used 1/3 Swiss, 1/3 old Cheddar, 1/3 Parmesan)
fresh thyme

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F (200C).
Cut off leaves and big part of the stem leaving the cauliflower as a whole.
Wash cauliflower under running cold water and shake out well.
Blanch the cauliflower by either adding 4-5 minutes to a large pot full of boiling water or easier, add to the steamer basket of the Instant Pot on top of a trivet with a cup of water and set to 0 minutes on high pressure, then release the pressure manually. No ice bath needed. This reduces the roasting time in half and ensures the stem is soft after roasting without the florets burning.
Put stem side down in an oven proof dish and pour melted butter over it. Use your hands to distribute in every nook and cranny of the cauliflower.
Turn the cauliflower stem side up, add crème fraîche to the center, season with some sea salt if desired, and then press in the cheese tightly.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until tender (or 60 minutes if you didn't blanch the cauliflower). You can test the doneness by sticking in a knife all the way to the stem. Don't cut the cauliflower, just stick in the knife. If it runs in easily the cauliflower is ready. If it doesn't slide in, add another 10 minutes to the roasting time.
Top with fresh thyme and cut into it like you would in a cake to serve pieces of it. Drizzle with pan juices.

Video

Notes

[nutrition-label]

Nutrition

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