Name: Mustardy Meatball and Cauliflower Gratin with Gruyère Recipe
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and broken into bite-size florets; Kosher salt; 1 pound ground beef, preferably 80/20; 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard; Freshly ground black pepper; 2 cups heavy cream; 3 cups grated Gruyère or aged white cheddar

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By Ben Mims

Jan. 23, 2020

This comforting baked keto dish could, if you squint your eyes hard enough, pass for baked pasta, swimming in cream and topped with nutty, browned Gruyère cheese. Already have your own favorite homemade or frozen store-bought meatball recipe? Use it here in place of the from-scratch meatballs; just make sure they’re the same size and are thawed completely.

From the story: A meatball and cauliflower gratin with all the comfort of baked pasta

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1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and broken into bite-size florets

Kosher salt

1 pound ground beef, preferably 80/20

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups heavy cream

3 cups grated Gruyère or aged white cheddar

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place four 2-cup gratin dishes on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bring 1 cup water to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cauliflower, season with salt and cover the skillet. Cook until the cauliflower florets are just tender enough to be pierced with the tip of a knife, about 2 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the water evaporates and the cauliflower is fully tender, 4 to 5 minutes more. Divide the cauliflower among the prepared gratin dishes.

In a medium bowl, break apart the ground beef with your fingers into pieces about the size of a dime. Dollop the mustard over the beef then season liberally with salt and pepper. Use your fingers to gently toss the beef until it’s well-coated with the seasonings. Roll walnut-size pieces of beef into about 32 balls (1¼-inch-diameter) and divide them among the gratin dishes, resting them on the cauliflower.

Pour ½ cup cream over the meatballs and cauliflower in each dish, season with salt and pepper, then top each with ¾ cup grated cheese. Bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the cheese is golden brown and bubbling on top, about 30 minutes. Serve while warm.

Variations:

Curry Cream: Stir 1 tablespoon curry powder into the cream before dividing it among the gratin dishes.
Lamb and Feta: Swap ground lamb for the beef, omit the Gruyère, and divide 8 ounces crumbled feta among the dishes after baking.
Broccoli-Cheddar: Swap broccoli for the cauliflower and swap sharp cheddar for the Gruyère.

Ben Mims

Ben Mims is a former cooking columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He has written three cookbooks and has worked as a food editor and recipe developer for several food media publications, such as Lucky Peach, Food & Wine, Saveur, Food Network and Buzzfeed/Tasty.