This week for The Food Matters Project Monday, I made a Gratin. By Gratin I mean, “browned crust”.

There is no cheese, bechamel or even butter in this Gratin, but don’t let that stop you. This is a solid side dish made with just a few simple ingredients and bursting with flavor. 

Gracie from Food Fascination chose “Whole Cauliflower with Sausage (page 481)”. I loved the ingredient list but just didn’t want to deal with multiple steps so I tweaked and twisted this recipe into an easy-to-assemble-and-healthier-Gratin.

This is an awesome side dish for grilled or roasted chicken, hearty fish like salmon or cod, you can even use it as a great topping for a large baked potato.

Though this is simple in nature, this is the perfect side dish to pull out when you want to fancy up the main course. You could even make an entree out of it by serving it over a large bed of sauteed greens – maybe something like this or this.

If you love cauliflower like I do, you may want to try some of my other cauliflower recipes…

Perfect Roasted Cauliflower

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Bloomin’ Indian Spiced Cauliflower

The Food Matters Project: Spicy Cauliflower + Chicken Sausage Gratin
 
Print

Prep:

Cook:

Total:

 

3 Points Plus Per Serving — Serves 8
By,:
Serves:: 8

Ingredients
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • ½ pound Spicy Chicken Sausage, removed from the casings
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into evenly sized florets (about 3 lbs)
TOPPING:
  • ½ cup organic whole wheat bread crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • couple turns freshly ground black pepper
  • fresh basil chiffonade for garnish

Instructions
PREP:
  1. Place garlic and jalapeno in bowl of food processor (see NOTE above about spiciness). Process until finely chopped.
  2. Add onion and pulse until just chopped.
  3. Drain tomatoes in a colander.
  4. Transfer onion mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add crumbled sausage meat (removed from casings), drained tomatoes and salt.
  5. Cut cauliflower florets into even-sized pieces.(click here for a tutorial)
  6. Combine bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Finally, grab a handful of basil and cut into a chiffonade. Set aside for serving.
  7. Gently toss cauliflower florets with sausage mixture. I used my (just washed) hands to make it easier to distribute all the ingredients.
COOK:
  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour cauliflower mixture into glass baking dish and cover with tin foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
  2. Remove tin foil, mix around and bake uncovered for 20 more minutes.Evenly spread bread crumb topping and place back into oven. Finish by baking for 10 to 15 minutes until crust is golden brown and crispy.
  3. Top with basil, serve immediately and Enjoy!

 

 

Related Recipes:

IMG_4693The Food Matters Project: Three Bean + Chicken Sausage Cassoulet IMG_5339The Food Matters Project: Spicy Pico de Gallo IMG_6127editThe Food Matters Project: Chicken Tamale Casserole (Wild Card Week)