Stuffed Cauliflower
I found that the cauliflower didn’t stay in tact so it was more of a “topped” cauliflower, but really good. It was still firm so Steve liked it too.
- 1 large cauliflower
- 1 onion, chopped
- ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
- 225g (½ lb) ground beef, extra lean (chicken or turkey would also work well but you’d want to change the spices)
- 1 can tomatoes, diced (low salt preferred)
- 2 Tbs tomato puree
- 1 tsp each: dried basil and oregano (or other flavours to enhance the ground meat)
- ¼ cup dry rice, cooked until just tender
For the sauce (do not make in a non-stick pan; the flour will clump):
- 2 cups milk
- 2 Tbs butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup grated cheese
The original recipe called for the milk to be soaked with the mushrooms, but I love fried mushrooms so I modified the sauce.
- Cook the cauliflower in boiling water until almost cooked, about 8 minutes.
- Heat 1 Tbs olive oil and cook the onions and mushrooms, stirring constantly until browned. You will know when they are when when they let their juices out, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, scramble fry the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain the pan of any excess oil. Add the tomatoes, puree, herbs and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the rice and vegetables to heat through.
- While the tomatoes are simmering, melt the butter in the pan, sprinkle over the flour and cook for 1 minute. Very gradually add the milk to form a roux. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in half the cheese.
- Put the whole cauliflower in an ovenproof dish and cut (almost to the end) into quarters, so they don’t separate. If the pieces fall apart, cut it into florets and make it more into a casserole. Put the meat filling into the cuts, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400F for 10 to 15 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve warm.
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