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This is the easiest, smothered, cheesy baked cauliflower recipe there is to make. It's the ultimate gluten-free vegetable side dish.
Smothered cauliflower is coated in a deliciously simple mixture and roasted in the oven until it's perfectly coated in melty cheese. It makes a really easy, healthy-ish gluten-free side dish for your Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or any night of the week. This simple throw-together cheesy cauliflower recipe is SO easy and delicious to make any time of the year.
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Ingredients.
This whole roasted cauliflower is simple but full of flavor.
- Cauliflower
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Cheddar Cheese
- Spices
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Ingredient notes.
- Cauliflower - We are making a whole, smothered, roasted cauliflower for this cheesy cauliflower recipe. Fresh cauliflower works best.
- Mayonnaise - While I love making my own homemade mayonnaise with avocado oil, this smothered cauliflower recipe works best with store-bought mayonnaise.
- Onion -You want to use either a white or yellow onion to make the sauce to smother the head of cauliflower.
- Garlic - I love to use fresh garlic because it adds a lot more flavor as the cauliflower is baked in the oven. If you love garlic, you can also use some homemade roasted garlic. If you don't want to use fresh garlic, you can also use garlic powder.
- Cheddar cheese - We are topping roasted cauliflower with cheese and then baking it. I find cheddar cheese not only has good flavor but also melts nicely on top of the smothered cauliflower without it falling off while it's being cooked.
Steps.
Making this cheesy smothered cauliflower doesn't take long at all, with just a few simple steps.
Step 1. Prep the cauliflower.
- Trim the greens off the cauliflower.
- Remove the hard center core from the cauliflower. (Be careful to leave the head still intact.)
- Par-steam the whole head of cauliflower.
- Dry the head of cauliflower.
Step 2. Make the sauce to smother the cauliflower.
- Mix the mayonnaise, grated onion, garlic, and spices together in a small bowl
Step 3. Coat the cauliflower and bake.
- Place the whole dried head of cauliflower in a baking dish.
- Smother the cauliflower with the sauce.
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the cauliflower is fork-tender.
Tips and tricks.
- Carefully time and cut the greens and core out of the cauliflower. You want to make sure to leave the head intact. If one or two pieces come off, it's okay. Just place them back with the rest of the head in the baking dish.
- Do not over-steam the cauliflower. You want to let the cauliflower steam for only five minutes. Any longer, and you'll likely end up with a head of cauliflower that is falling apart.
- Make sure to thoroughly dry the head of cauliflower before coating it with the mayonnaise sauce and cheddar cheese. If the head of cauliflower is not dry, the sauce and cheese will slide right off. I like to let it rest on some paper towels for 5-10 minutes after steaming to allow as much moisture out of it as possible.
- Roast covered and then uncovered. This helps keep moisture in the cauliflower and keeps the cheese from burning and sliding off of it as it bakes.
Alternate cooking methods.
While this whole roasted cheesy cauliflower recipe is delicious in the oven, sometimes you need your oven space for other parts of dinner. Luckily you can also make this an air-fried cauliflower recipe. Just prep it as you would for baking it in the oven and then place it in the air fryer until the cauliflower is tender and the cheese is melted.
Pro tip: If you are making this cheesy cauliflower in the air fryer, I suggest doing it in increments. Roast it with just the sauce until the cauliflower is almost tender. Then add the cheese and roast it again, just until the cheese is melted.
Serving suggestions.
When it comes to serving this whole cheesy roasted cauliflower recipe, you really can't go wrong. My family loves it served with so many different recipes. It's the easiest, cheesy gluten-free side dish for weeknights and even for Thanksgiving. Check out some of these gluten-free dinners to serve with this cheesy cauliflower.
More gluten-free side dishes.
This baked whole cauliflower with cheese recipe is not only gluten-free, but it's also a keto roasted cauliflower recipe for you or anyone you know who wants to have a little something keto-friendly at the dinner table. If you need more delicious gluten-free dish recipes to go with this cheesy cauliflower or just don't want boring vegetable side dishes, check out some of these recipes.
📖 Recipe
Smothered Cheesy Baked Cauliflower (gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Head of Califlower
- 1 Cup Mayonaise
- ½ Cup Yellow Onion Grated
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder Or 2-3 cloves minced.
- 1 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 ½ Cups Cheddar Cheese Shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Trim the head of cauliflower, make sure you keep it whole and intact.1 Whole Head of Califlower
- Pour water into a pot so that it's about 1-2 inches deep. Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Place the trimmed cauliflower into the pot. Cover and let it steam over medium-high heat for five minutes.
- Combine the remaining ingredients except the cheese into a bowl and set aside.1 Cup Mayonaise, ½ Cup Yellow Onion, 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 Teaspoons Salt, 1 Teaspoon Pepper, ½ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Remove the cauliflower from the pot and allow it to drain over some paper towels to collect any excess moisture.
- Place the dry cauliflower into an oven-safe dish.
- Coat the cauliflower with the sauce mixture.
- Then sprinkle the top of the coated cauliflower with the shredded cheddar cheese.1 ½ Cups Cheddar Cheese
- Carefully cover the cauliflower without touching the cheese with foil. Note you can also bake this cheesy cauliflower in a dutch oven and use the lid to cover it.
- Put the cauliflower into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the center of the cauliflower starts to become fork tender.
- After 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the cauliflower becomes golden and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven, and allow it to cool slightly before slicing and serving along with the rest of your holiday (or anytime meals)
Notes
- Carefully time and cut the greens and core out of the cauliflower. You want to make sure to leave the head intact. If one or two pieces come off, it's okay. Just place them back with the rest of the head in the baking dish.
- Do not over-steam the cauliflower. You want to let the cauliflower steam for only five minutes. Any longer, and you'll likely end up with a head of cauliflower that is falling apart.
- Make sure to thoroughly dry the head of cauliflower before coating it with the mayonnaise sauce and cheddar cheese. If the head of cauliflower is not dry, the sauce and cheese will slide right off. I like to let it rest on some paper towels for 5-10 minutes after steaming to allow as much moisture out of it as possible.
- Roast covered and then uncovered. This helps keep moisture in the cauliflower and keeps the cheese from burning and sliding off of it as it bakes.
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