Cauliflower & Cheese Casserole

Ah, the lowly cauliflower, a member of an unusual vegetable species known as Brassica Oleracea which also includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, and kale. I hate it. And actually, a lot of people do, which is why the cauliflower has undergone something of a Renaissance in recent years being used as something other than the de facto vegetable it is.  In fact, cauliflower products have increased 71% in the U.S. since 2017 and cauliflower production since 2013 is up by over 63%. Cauliflower mashed "potatoes" came about more than a decade ago during the low carb craze, a recipe for which I have posted here and have made countless times.  But more recently in the Keto and gluten-free hysteria, all manner of cauliflower dishes as a substitution for something else have come to market, like, cauliflower pizza crusts, cauliflower breadsticks, cauliflower fried rice and cauliflower bread substitute.

There's a reason for all this.  Not a lot of people like the taste and smell of cauliflower because like all cruciferous vegetables mentioned above, it's high in sulfur.  Sulfur stinks.  It's the brimstone in Dante's version of hell.  But you may not know that sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in your body.  Your system uses it to make building blocks for amino acids which your body processes into proteins.  And cauliflower has a ton of sulfur, comparatively speaking, to some of the other vegetables on the Oleracea list.

Luckily, cauliflower is low in carbohydrates but more importantly, its flavor can be easily masked behind other more robust ingredients, especially if they contain a lot of fat; things like butter, cream and cheese.  Cauliflower and cheese casseroles have been around for a long time but it's only recently that such casseroles are being largely marketed as low carb or Keto-friendly alternatives for mac 'n cheese.  While I personally think this is no real substitute for mac 'n cheese - nothing is - this casserole certainly satisfied my craving for something cheesy, low-carb and delicious while also giving me my dose of sulfur.

This is an amalgamation of two or more internet recipes I used to essentially create my own version.  It also uses a great grated cheese combination under the proprietary brand Private Selection from the Kroger grocery chain, called Alpine Blend. It's is a course-grated cheese mixture of both Swiss and Gruyere cheese.  If you don't have or cannot find this mixture, just use a 50/50 mixture of these two cheeses.  No cheddar is allowed!

Ingredients
1 medium to large head cauliflower
1 8-oz pkg Alpine Blend Gruyere and Swiss Cheese (Like, Private Selection)
4 oz shredded Parmesan Cheese (like, Kraft or Sargento)
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 extra large eggs
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp smoked salt (like, San Francisco Salt Company Alder Wood)
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)

The Recipe
After cutting the head of cauliflower into florets, put them into a pot of salted, boiling water for 6-7 minutes until fork tender. Drain through a colander and allow to steam dry for ten minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees with a rack in the top third.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together, then add the heavy cream and whisk again.  Add the onion powder, smoked salt, white pepper and nutmeg and whisk to combine.

Spray a large (9" x 11") casserole dish with the non-stick spray and layer in 1/2 of the Alpine blend.  Add the cauliflower and the other half of the blended cheese, and give everything a good stir.  Pour the egg and cream mixture evenly over the cauliflower and cheese, then add the Parmesan Cheese on top of the casserole. Sprinkle the paprika over the top.

Bake 45-55 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly.