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Image of the baked cauliflower cheese from above with a side of grated halloumi in a bowl too

Baked cauliflower with halloumi béchamel

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword baked, bechamel, cauliflower, halloumi
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Author Eleni Georges

Ingredients

  • Half a large cauliflower, cut in florets
  • 1 medium garlic clove, 5g, minced
  • 70 g salted butter
  • 70 g flour
  • 650 mL cold milk
  • 100 g halloumi, grated (reserve part of it)
  • ¼ tsp thyme or rosemary, dried

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan forced. Place the cut cauliflower in a deep dish not very spread out. My round baking dish had a diameter of 21cm.
  2. Start making the béchamel by melting the butter in a pot over a medium heat. Add the minced garlic to cook for 1min but avoid burning it. Add the flour and whisk the roux well. Allow that to cook for 1min while constantly stirring.
  3. Then slowly add the milk in two parts. Keep whisking after each time, allow it to come to temperature and thicken. Don’t stop whisking otherwise it will get lumpy. Lastly add the herbs and the grated halloumi, but reserve some to place on top later. Stir everything well. You will notice the béchamel sauce will be a bit thick but that is fine as the cauliflower will release some water during baking.

  4. Pour the béchamel on top of the raw cauliflower and add the reserved grated halloumi on top. Bake for 40min or until golden brown. Serve it warm simply with a salad as a main dish or include it as part of a bigger spread for your guests.