Roasted Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

Okay, I know what you are thinking. The name alone sounds mushy and bland and boring. But we had a lot of delicious roasted cauliflower left over and needed something interesting to do with it. This dish surprised us with its firm, savory, spiciness. It was quite good, and further convinced my husband (who always used to claim a hatred of cauliflower) that he actually likes this vegetable.

This Roasted Cauliflower Casserole's secret is in the roasting and the spices. Roasting the cauliflower beforehand keeps it firm in the casserole, and dries it out some ahead of time so that you do not end up with a soup. It is firm, savory, and flavorful; not a bit like you'd expect "Roasted Cauliflower Casserole" to be.

Note: This recipe involves first preparing another recipe, found here.

Roasted Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

serves four

Ingredients:

• 2 cups roasted cauliflower with onions *
• 1 cup dried white rice **
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs
• 10- to 11-ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
• enough French-fried onions to cover ***

* Be sure to use the linked recipe, or the spices will be wrong! If you are making the roasted cauliflower specifically for this recipe, make sure to HALVE the Roasted Cauliflower recipe, for you won't need that much.

** Brown rice would probably work in this (and would be healthier!) but I haven't tried it. Feel free to experiment, though! Also, once the rice is cooked, you do not use ALL of it. Remove one cup (use it for something else), and put the rest into this casserole.

*** Breadcrumbs can be used alternately, to make it a little healthier.

Preparation instructions:

1. If you are not using leftover roasted cauliflower and onions, prepare some. For proper seasoning, make sure to use this recipe, but HALVE it.

2. Prepare the rice according to the proper instructions for its variety.

3. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and set aside until the rice (and cauliflower) are ready.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the yokes are mixed with the whites. Add two cups of the roasted cauliflower and onions, all of the rice MINUS one cup, all of the condensed cream of mushroom soup, and all of the grated sharp cheddar cheese to the casserole. Mix well.

6. Pour this mixture into a casserole dish (I used a 1.8 liter casserole dish). Cover in French-fried onions (or breadcrumbs instead).

7. Bake, covered, for 35 minutes, then remove cover and bake for an additional ten minutes.