Cauliflower Cheese

  • 5MINS
  • 40MINS
  • Serves 2
  • 398KCAL

Perhaps not quite as you know it, our slimming-friendly Cauliflower Cheese is just what your roast dinner has been missing! It might be lower in calories, but we promise it doesn't skimp on big cheesy flavours. There's extra texture in there too, thanks to soft silky leeks, red onion and that all-important crispy Cheddar topping…

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NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories398
  • Carbs46g
  • Protein30g
  • Fat9.9g
  • Saturates5.2g
  • Sugars24g

The ingredients for Pinch of Nom's slimming-friendly Cauliflower Cheese are laid out on a kitchen surface, ready to begin cooking.

This Cauliflower Cheese is so filling and full of lovely vegetables that sometimes we eat it on its own for lunch!

Even if you’re not usually a fan of traditional cauliflower cheese, it’s worth giving this recipe a go. It’s great as a main dish, on the side of your roast dinner, or even with something entirely different!

The combination of cottage cheese and reduced-fat Cheddar means we’ve kept this recipe nice and low in calories, without losing out on cheesy goodness. The sauce turns out so deliciously creamy, with a crispy, melted cheese topping.

One way of putting our Cauliflower Cheese to good use is pairing it with our Roast Beef and Gravy. It’s a lovely, cheesy addition to the traditional Sunday lunch…and it might just be the best bit on your plate!

If you’re a big fan of cauliflower, then we have lots of other great recipes, like our Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup. Take a scroll through our article to find lots of other things you can make with cauliflower.

What diets is this Cauliflower Cheese suitable for?

This Cauliflower Cheese recipe is suitable for vegetarian diets.

Please make sure to double and triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Cauliflower Cheese?

You don’t need any special ingredients for this recipe.

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.

NEW TIP
Thought that low calorie would mean less enjoyment but no
I made double the amount so that we could have a main and leftovers for a side another day. So glad I did as we absolutely love it 😊

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‘Maximum taste, minimum calories’

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How many calories are in this Cauliflower Cheese?

There are 393 calories per portion in this Cauliflower Cheese, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.

To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment.

This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

Step 1

Bring a pan of water to the boil. Put the cauliflower into the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender.

Step 1 pinchofnom.com

Step 2

Spray a pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the onion and leek and fry for 4-5 minutes until soft and golden.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Once the cauliflower is cooked, drain well and add the onion, leek and stock pot. Mix well.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

Add the cottage cheese and mix. Pour into the ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the Cheddar cheese.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Step 5

Preheat the grill then pop the dish under until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Eat and enjoy!

A close-up shows Pinch of Nom's Cauliflower Cheese fresh from the oven. The Cheddar cheese topping is melted and gooey, and the cauliflower is golden brown.

What could I serve with this Cauliflower Cheese?

Any of the following recipes would go great with this Cauliflower Cheese recipe:

Roast Beef and Gravy pinchofnom.com
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How do you know when this Cauliflower Cheese is cooked?

The leeks and onions should be nice, soft and golden, and the cauliflower tender. Once assembled, the dish should be baked in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.

How long can you keep Cauliflower Cheese in the fridge?

Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.

If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cauliflower Cheese in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

Can I freeze Cauliflower Cheese?

Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following:

  • Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
  • Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!

How do I reheat Cauliflower Cheese?

From chilled: Place in a microwavable container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.

From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.

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Cauliflower Cheese

Perhaps not quite as you know it, our slimming-friendly Cauliflower Cheese is just what your roast dinner has been missing! It might be lower in calories, but we promise it doesn't skimp on big cheesy flavours. There's extra texture in there too, thanks to soft silky leeks, red onion and that all-important crispy Cheddar topping...
  • Prep Time
    5 MINS
  • Cook Time
    40 MINS
  • KCals 398
  • Carbs 46G

Ingredients

  • 1 large cauliflower, approx. 700g, cut into florets
  • 2 small red onions, peeled and sliced
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 250 g low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1 vegetable stock pot
  • 40 g reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, finely grated
  • low-calorie cooking spray

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

Please do not screenshot this. Recipes are updated often

Instructions

  1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Put the cauliflower into the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender.
  2. Spray a pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the onion and leek and fry for 4-5 minutes until soft and golden.
  3. Once the cauliflower is cooked, drain well and add the onion, leek and stock pot. Mix well.
  4. Add the cottage cheese and mix. Pour into the ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the Cheddar cheese.
  5. Preheat the grill then pop the dish under until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Eat and enjoy!

Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.



We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website

Find out why here

Recipe notes

Tip: If you overcook the cauliflower, you'll find that it might go a little mushy when mixed with the onion and leek. Don't worry, it'll still taste good!
Tip: You may find it easier to mix the vegetable stock pot with a little splash of boiling water to make a thick paste before adding to the cauliflower, onion and leek.

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37 comments

See what others have to say

JenniferTuesday 10th September 2024

Can I use soya greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese to make it dairy free?

Reply

    HollyThursday 12th September 2024

    Hey Jennifer, you could use dairy free cream cheese or yoghurt for this recipe, hope that helps!

    Reply

CazLSaturday 22nd July 2023

I would leave the vegetable stock pot out next time, I found the flavour of it overpowered the dish too much, maybe just black pepper would be better. I blitzed the cottage cheese to give a better texture but I think would use light cream cheese next time instead. Overall a bit disappointed with this one, sorry.

Reply

    SharonThursday 19th October 2023

    Hi CazL, thanks for trying our Cauliflower Cheese and sorry it wasn’t to your taste. Thanks for sharing your tips!

    Reply

LisaSaturday 12th February 2022

Can I use just soft cheese instead of cottage cheese

Reply

    HollyWednesday 16th February 2022

    Hi Lisa, you could use cream cheese to make the sauce for this recipe but you would need to alter the calories accordingly. Hope that helps!

    Reply

AnnieThursday 6th May 2021

I want to make this tomorrow and am calorie counting. The information at the top says 365 calories per serving, but in the writing it says 322 calories per serving?! I just wondered which was correct?! Thanks 😊

Reply

    HollyMonday 10th May 2021

    Hey Annie, sorry about that I have now amended this recipe so all nutritional values match, hope that helps!

    Reply

RosannaSunday 21st March 2021

This was really tasty but it was so watery it was splashing everywhere!
Boyfriend said best cauliflower cheese he’s ever had but we had to sieve off our dinner plates.
Any tips?

Reply

    HollyWednesday 31st March 2021

    Hey Rosanna, you need to drain the cauliflower really well after it’s cooked this will stop any extra moisture being left behind and only add a splash of boiling water to the stock pot as any extra will make it too watery. Hope that helps!

    Reply

lucySunday 14th February 2021

Can I use creme fraiche as I don’t have cottage cheese or quark

Reply

    LisaTuesday 16th February 2021

    Hi Lucy
    Yes you can, but you will need to recalculate the nutritional values if they are important to you.

    Reply

RachelSaturday 30th May 2020

Can you really taste the cottage cheese? I really hate cottage cheese but this looks so good!

Reply

    LisaSunday 31st May 2020

    Hi Rachel. It doesn’t really taste of cottage cheese, but you could always blitz the cottage cheese in a blender to disguise it even more! Hope this helps!

    Reply

Sarah BennettSunday 22nd March 2020

What’s a ‘small’ pot of cottage cheese? Please can you quantify? Thank you.

Reply

    Holly LevellMonday 18th May 2020

    Hi Sarah, We’ve updated this recipe to read 250g low fat cottage cheese, hope that helps!

    Reply

KerryMonday 30th September 2019

Has anyone got the recipe for the broccoli cheese that used to be on here?

Reply

    Holly LevellMonday 18th May 2020

    Hi Kerry, you can find our Broccoli Cheese recipe in our second book.

    Reply

LucySaturday 22nd June 2019

Is this 332 calories per portion/person?

Reply

    Sharon FitzpatrickThursday 21st May 2020

    Hi Lucy, this recipe is marked as having 365 calories. This is per portion. Thanks for your question and hope you enjoy this recipe.

    Reply

DaniSaturday 11th August 2018

Hi, can this be reheated the next day? Or frozen?

Reply

TraceyMonday 4th June 2018

Just wondering if I use a stock cube how much water do I add please .

Reply

MarieTuesday 1st May 2018

Sounds yum, so I don’t have leeks or cottage cheese at the minute but I want to use up a cauliflower …….. can I use quark instead??? What could I sub for leeks??

Reply

Julie ReesWednesday 14th March 2018

Recipes sound good. Will give it a go. Thanks.

Reply

Denise MurphyTuesday 13th March 2018

Haven’t seen the stock pots here in the USA what alternative can I use.

Reply

    Jo HarringtonTuesday 12th March 2019

    Could you use a mixture of quark and primula cheese to make a sauce?

    Reply

      CateMonday 8th April 2019

      You can certainly give it a go! Primula makes a great cheese sauce, just be careful with the quark as it can split if heated too quickly 🙂

Val AllenWednesday 7th March 2018

Hi Kate,
This is the nicest cottage cheese /cauliflower dish ever ! Love the idea of onions & leeks..makes it sooo tasty. Added some broccoli too this time. . Thank you .
Val.

Reply

AmySunday 7th January 2018

Hi, can you freeze any leftovers?
I’m loving PON…I’m not doing SW strictly, just being careful with what I eat. For the last week I have cooked something from PON each night and they have all gone down a storm x

Reply

Shelly tiffinThursday 28th September 2017

How much water do you need to add to the stick pot before adding to veg please

Reply

Emma TTuesday 12th September 2017

Hi Alison,

Thanks for getting in touch! ????

Reply

NikiWednesday 12th April 2017

Oh my goodness. I was a bit unsure that this was going to work for me with the cottage cheese part of it (love cottage cheese but just wasn’t sure it would add anything to cauliflower cheese), but with Aldi having Cauliflower, Broccoli and Leeks in their super six this week at 29p each, I thought I would give it a go. I used both cauliflower and broccoli, using a whole head of caul and a whole pack of broc. Used just 1 tub of cottage cheese and half tub of quark (cause it’s all I had in the fridge), I also used 80g of the cheese on top as there was so much with the broc as well. Then I baked in the oven for 15 minutes rather than grilling it. OMG it’s gorgeous. Loved it. It worked. So much so that I am nipping down to Aldi to get all the ingredients to make another one for over Easter. Even hubby enjoyed it!

Reply

    KateSunday 16th April 2017

    Hi Niki
    Glad you like it

    Reply

KimSaturday 4th March 2017

Can I use Quorn instead of cottage cheese

Reply

    KateMonday 6th March 2017

    Hi Kim
    Do you mean Quark? If you do then yes you can use it instead of cottage cheese

    Reply

LisaMonday 9th January 2017

How many grams is the cottage cheese as the pots of cottage cheese come in different sizes

Reply

    KateMonday 9th January 2017

    Hi Lisa,
    It’s just a regular sized pot not the large one. So 1 and a half 300g pots, which is about 450g

    Reply

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