This cheesy sausage and cauliflower casserole is a delicious oven dish with the tastiest flavors. Creamy mashed potatoes topped with sausage and cauliflower. A delicious cheese sauce and bacon and Gruyère as a gratin. A delicious family recipe.
Comfort food: Sausage and Potatoes au Gratin
Do you remember that from the past: Cauliflower with cheese sauce? Delicious. We often ate that with potatoes and a piece of meat. But if you eat that frequently, it gets a bit boring.
I found something for that! I made a delicious casserole with it, which you can't get enough of. And not only that. It's also super easy to prepare, so all you have to do is pop it in the oven after a busy day. Those are always the best recipes, as far as I'm concerned!
What do you need for Homemade Sausage and Cauliflower Oven Bake?
You require the following ingredients to prepare this Cheesy Sausage and Cauliflower Casserole. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Which sausage do you use for this?
You can use beef sausage or fresh sausage in this recipe. Pronounced flavors are less appropriate here (because there are already a lot of additives). The sausages are fried until golden brown. Add them whole or cut them into pieces (to make it a bit fairer).
Cheeses that go well with this cauliflower casserole
Using a distinctive cheese in combination with the cauliflower is super delicious. Gruyère and Emmentaler are both excellent choices. They melt well and gratinate beautifully.
You can use a Gouda cheese if you want a less pronounced taste.
How to prepare an Easy, Comforting Casserole with Sausages and Cauliflower
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Start by cooking the cauliflower and potatoes until done, and drain. Lightly fry the bacon. Melt some butter in a frying pan and fry the sausage until golden brown. When the potatoes are done, mash them with milk, egg, and butter into a smooth puree. Place it at the bottom of the baking dish and smooth it with the back of a spoon. Add the cauliflower and sausage on top.
- Make a roux of butter and flour in a saucepan and dilute it with milk. Stir in ⅔th part of the Gruyère.
- Pour the sauce over the cauliflower.
- Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese and bacon bits on top. Place in the preheated oven at 430 °F (220 °C) for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Cooking the potatoes: Peel them and cut them into pieces, so they are approximately the same size (this way, they are ready at the same time). Bring water with one teaspoon of salt to the boil and add the potatoes. Cook for 20 minutes. Check with a fork whether the potatoes are done; the fork should pierce them easily. Otherwise, increase the cooking time by two minutes and repeat the check with the fork. Then drain the potatoes and let them dry for 10 seconds over low heat.
- Cook cauliflower until al dente: Wash the cauliflower and cut off the florets. Bring a pan of water with ½ teaspoon of salt to the boil. Then, add the cauliflower. Cook for 8 minutes and check whether the cauliflower is done. You can check this by piercing the cauliflower with a fork. If it goes in easily, your cauliflower is done. Otherwise, cook for another 2 minutes. When the cauliflower is al dente, drain the vegetable.
- Lightly fry the bacon: Fry the bacon for 2 minutes. This will release some fat, making them a little brown but not yet crispy. They bake some more in the oven.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
Cauliflower and sausage
- 1 cauliflower, in florets
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1¼ pound sausage, bratwurst, fresh sausage or sausage
- 1 cup water
Mashed potatoes
- 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into equal-sized pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg, size L
- ⅔ cup milk
Cheese sauce
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ cup Gruyère cheese, grated, or Emmentaler
Topping
- ½ cup Gruyère cheese, grated or Emmentaler
- 1 cup bacon bits
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 430 °F (220 °C).
- Cook the cauliflower for 8 to 10 minutes until tender in lightly salted water. Drain in a colander.1 cauliflower, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Melt the butter in the pan and fry the sausage until golden brown on both sides. Pour 200 ml of water into the pan and let it cook for 15 minutes with the lid on the pan. Fry the bacon for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.1 tablespoon butter, 1¼ pound sausage, 1 cup water
Mashed potatoes
- Boil the potatoes in plenty of boiling salted water for 20 minutes until done. Drain in a colander.2 pounds potatoes, ½ teaspoon salt
- Return the potatoes to the pan and mash.
- Mix an egg, milk, and butter through the puree.1 tablespoon butter, 1 egg, ⅔ cup milk
Cheese sauce
- Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour all at once. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring with a wooden spatula.¼ cup butter, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Slowly add the milk while stirring with a whisk so no lumps form. Let it come to a boil, and then turn off the heat.2 ½ cup milk
- Mix the Gruyère cheese through the sauce.1 ½ cup Gruyère cheese
Cauliflower casserole with sausage
- Place the mashed potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Divide the cauliflower and sausage over it.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the ingredients in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle with Gruyère cheese and bacon.½ cup Gruyère cheese, 1 cup bacon bits
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is gratinated
Notes
- Using a distinctive cheese in combination with the cauliflower is super delicious. Gruyère and Emmentaler are both excellent choices. They melt well and gratinate well.
- You can use a Gouda cheese if you want a less pronounced taste.
- Refrigerator: Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap. You can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Wrap the baking dish with a few layers of plastic wrap to minimize air entry. You can store it this way for up to a month. Let it thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and heat in an oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for 20 minutes.
Nutrition
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