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…
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories398
- Carbs46g
- Protein30g
- Fat9.9g
- Saturates5.2g
- Sugars24g
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.
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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 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 3
Once the cauliflower is cooked, drain well and add the onion, leek and stock pot. Mix well.
Step 4
Add the cottage cheese and mix. Pour into the ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the Cheddar cheese.
Step 5
Preheat the grill then pop the dish under until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Eat and enjoy!
What could I serve with this Cauliflower Cheese?
Any of the following recipes would go great with this Cauliflower Cheese recipe:
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
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Cook Time
40 MINS
- KCals 398
- Carbs 46G
Instructions
- Bring a pan of water to the boil. Put the cauliflower into the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender.
- 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.
- Once the cauliflower is cooked, drain well and add the onion, leek and stock pot. Mix well.
- Add the cottage cheese and mix. Pour into the ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the Cheddar cheese.
- 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.
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We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website
Recipe notes
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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?
HollyThursday 12th September 2024
Hey Jennifer, you could use dairy free cream cheese or yoghurt for this recipe, hope that helps!
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.
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!
LisaSaturday 12th February 2022
Can I use just soft cheese instead of cottage cheese
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!
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 😊
HollyMonday 10th May 2021
Hey Annie, sorry about that I have now amended this recipe so all nutritional values match, hope that helps!
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?
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!
lucySunday 14th February 2021
Can I use creme fraiche as I don’t have cottage cheese or quark
LisaTuesday 16th February 2021
Hi Lucy
Yes you can, but you will need to recalculate the nutritional values if they are important to you.
RachelSaturday 30th May 2020
Can you really taste the cottage cheese? I really hate cottage cheese but this looks so good!
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!
Sarah BennettSunday 22nd March 2020
What’s a ‘small’ pot of cottage cheese? Please can you quantify? Thank you.
Holly LevellMonday 18th May 2020
Hi Sarah, We’ve updated this recipe to read 250g low fat cottage cheese, hope that helps!
KerryMonday 30th September 2019
Has anyone got the recipe for the broccoli cheese that used to be on here?
Holly LevellMonday 18th May 2020
Hi Kerry, you can find our Broccoli Cheese recipe in our second book.
LucySaturday 22nd June 2019
Is this 332 calories per portion/person?
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.
DaniSaturday 11th August 2018
Hi, can this be reheated the next day? Or frozen?
TraceyMonday 4th June 2018
Just wondering if I use a stock cube how much water do I add please .
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??
Julie ReesWednesday 14th March 2018
Recipes sound good. Will give it a go. Thanks.
Denise MurphyTuesday 13th March 2018
Haven’t seen the stock pots here in the USA what alternative can I use.
Jo HarringtonTuesday 12th March 2019
Could you use a mixture of quark and primula cheese to make a sauce?
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.
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
Shelly tiffinThursday 28th September 2017
How much water do you need to add to the stick pot before adding to veg please
Emma TTuesday 12th September 2017
Hi Alison,
Thanks for getting in touch! ????
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!
KateSunday 16th April 2017
Hi Niki
Glad you like it
KimSaturday 4th March 2017
Can I use Quorn instead of cottage cheese
KateMonday 6th March 2017
Hi Kim
Do you mean Quark? If you do then yes you can use it instead of cottage cheese
LisaMonday 9th January 2017
How many grams is the cottage cheese as the pots of cottage cheese come in different sizes
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
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