When I think of winter season I think casseroles, gratins and filling comfort food.
It’s crazy how much our body’s crave something warm and hearty during cold weather. My hunger pangs literally ache for bowls of creamy oats, cheesy soups, deep dish cookies and loaded casseroles.
Before I dive into the cookie madness and give you a chunkfull of holiday treat recipes, I decided to balance it out and start with a cauliflower gratin. It’s one of the best ways to satisfy that need for warm comfort and get an extra dose of vegetables, which lets be honest, can easily get ignored during this time of year!
In all honesty, I promised myself not to start my holiday baking madness until after finals ended. That way all my energy can be focused into one thing at a time, because when it comes to anatomy + physiology, there’s really no messing around. The good thing about all this is, come 10pm Thursday night (last final of the quarter!) all my energy will finally be focused on what I love most…
BAKING. Specifically holiday baking! My mind is beyond anxious to dive into the December cookie train all other bloggers are on right now, but I am wisely holding myself back until this quarter officially ends. Sigh.
This past weekend my kitchen filled with this gratin in order to have something simple on hand during my week of chaos. Planning meals ahead, especially comforting dishes like this, is truly a college life savior. Even if you’re not in college, this dish still perfectly fits into the holiday meal menu.
You know I am all about balancing out the decadent sweets with some feel-good vegetables. This gratin is lightened up with Chobani yogurt, fresh le Gruyère cheese and homemade almond parmesan breadcrumbs for an extra crunch. Simple, healthy and delish. My kinda vegetable!
P.S. Stay tuned this weekend because you better bet I will be on a baking spree Thursday night in order to properly celebrate finals being OVER. Prepare yourself for a holiday dessert extravaganza
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Le Gruyere Cauliflower Gratin with Almond Parmesan Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 extra large cauliflower head, stems removed
- 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup coconut milk (canned lite or full fat)
- 3 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 cup Chobani greek yogurt (2% or fat free)
- 1/2 cup le gruyere cheese (I used a little more than 1/2 cup + extra for sprinkling on top)
- Sea salt + black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped almonds*
- Handful of chopped basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast cauliflower with olive oil coating for 15 minutes, flip and roast 5-10 more minutes. Let cool, then chop into pieces.
- Whisk milk and flour until well combined and set aside. Cook onion in a skillet with olive oil or butter on medium heat, until browned for about 10 minutes. Turn stove to low and pour in milk/flour mixture.
- Stir until thickened and add le gruyere cheese. Once cheese is fully melted and incorporated into sauce, pour into a large bowl. Whisk in yogurt, salt and pepper then stir in roughly chopped cauliflower. Once everything is well combined pour into a greased 8×8 baking dish.
- Mix together parmesan cheese, almonds and basil then sprinkle on top of cauliflower.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then set oven to broil and bake an additional 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
I placed my almonds in a food processor/blender and grounded them up for barely 5 seconds. This is an easier alternative to roughly chopping them, and helps them resemble a breadcrumb.