CAULIFLOWER CHEESE BAKE WITH MINCE
This is a delicious dish with its spicy mince, cauliflower base and crispy cheese topping.
About this Recipe
Although it might be one of the blandest vegetables on earth and not many people’s favourite; after the cauliflower cheese bake with mince recipe, you will think very differently about cauliflower. Its crispy cheese topping and spicy mince and cauliflower base makes this dish a family favourite.
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 10 MINS
COOK TIME: 55 MINS
In the UK, cauliflower is mainly served as a side vegetable next to a meat. Whereas you can enjoy the cauliflower cheese bake with mince as a main meal with the whole family. To make this dish, first of all, I boil the cauliflower florets. Then I blend them with a spicy mince mixture and cover it with a cheese sauce like a blanket. I sprinkle with some more cheese on top to give it a crispy look once it’s baked. The crispy topping, creamy texture of the cheese sauce and the heat coming from the mince, goes really well together.
TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
- Add lemon juice to the water you are going to boil cauliflowers in. Lemon will stop them from going brown.
- While making the cheese sauce, whisk continuously with a metal whisk to prevent the sauce from going lumpy.
- The below measurements are ideal for a 35 cm / 13.77 inch ovenproof dish. If your baking dish is smaller or bigger, you need to make some adjustments to the ingredients accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 chillies, finely diced
- 250 g minced lamb
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (double concentrated tomato purée) (see note)
- 1 tsp hot pepper paste (see note)
- 250 g (1 cup) can of chopped tomatoes
Cheese Sauce
- 3,5 tbsp plain flour
- 40 g (3 tbsp) butter
- 400 ml (1 3/4 cup) milk
- 80 g (1 cup) mature cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
- 40 g (1/2 cup) ready-grated extra cheddar for topping
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F / 180°C Fan / Gas 6.
Step 2
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the cauliflower florets along with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes until the cauliflowers are slightly tender. Once they are cooked, drain their water in a colander and set aside.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes or until it’s soft and golden in colour.
Step 4
Add the chillis and sauté them for few minutes. Add the minced lamb and cook it over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Make sure the lamb is thoroughly cooked.
Step 5
Add the tomato and hot pepper paste and cook for a few minutes, mixing really well.
Step 6
Add chopped tomatoes, parsley and season to taste. Over a moderate heat for about 15 minutes, reduce until you achieve a thick consistency.
Step 7
Transfer the boiled and drained cauliflowers into a 35 cm / 13.77 inch ovenproof dish. Then spoon the cooked mince over the cauliflower base.
Step 8
For the cheese sauce, put the milk in a saucepan and add the flour and butter. Place it over medium heat and whisk continuously with a metal whisk until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Whisk for 2 more minutes after the mixture comes to a boil, then stir in 80 g cheese until melted. Season to taste.
Step 9
Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower mince mixture and bake it in preheated oven for 20 mins. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese (40 g) over the top and bake it for 10 more minutes until the topping is golden brown and bubbling. Stand for 5 minutes before you serve with crusty Turkish bread.
Notes
Hot pepper paste: It is available online as well as in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops. Hot pepper paste is a thick deep red paste made by blending together cooked red peppers, chillies, olive oil and salt. Then to desiccate all the juices, they are dried in the sun. This deepens the colour and intensifies the flavour. A small amount is enough to give a spicy, rich texture to dishes. It is used mainly in the southeast of Turkey. There is no substitute but you can omit it.
Tomato paste: It is available online as well as in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops. Tomato paste is basically cooked down and concentrated tomatoes. It is used mainly in the southeast of Turkey. Having roots in Urfa and Gaziantep, admittedly I do use it quite a lot in my cooking. You can substitute with double concentrated tomato purée which is widely available in supermarkets.
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NEFİS GÖZÜKÜYOR.ELLERİNE,EMEĞİNE SAĞLIK YİNE GÜZEL BİR TARİF VERMİŞSİN.
Çok teşekkürler.
I made this recipe the other night. Absolutely amazing! Highly recommend that you try it
I am so glad that you have enjoyed it, Antonia. It made my day.