Roasted Cauliflower Béchamel Sauce

Inspiration: a head of cauliflower that cost $0.68/pound

I had a head of cauliflower and wanted to do something new. I started with a craving for roasted cauliflower with something creamy. I considered making a creamy roasted cauliflower soup. But I remembered recently discussing how soup is my comfort zone when trying new recipes. I began looking through recipes for inspiration. I kept finding suggestions for roasted cauliflower with a side of  béchamel for dipping or combined and baked as a gratin. Béchamel is super easy to make and the leftover sauce can be used in a number of ways. Here is my first adventure making bechamel sauce if you are curious.

I thought of a way I could take this traditional dish a step further: combine the roasted cauliflower and the béchamel. I began by roasting cauliflower and garlic. This dish would be much quicker if you just happened to have some leftover roasted cauliflower but is totally worth the time. Once cooled, I set aside 1 cup of the vegetable mixture. I placed the vegetables in a small food processor and added enough milk to process the mixture until smooth as possible. This is what I added to my basic béchamel recipe.

This sauce is delicious! The roasted veggies add a mellow nuttiness to the sauce. I love the combination of cauliflower and chickpeas so I served the sauce over chickpeas and brown rice with the remaining roasted cauliflower. What a yummy, satisfying meal. Enjoy!

P.S. In my next post, I will share how used some of my leftover Roasted Cauliflower Béchamel Sauce.

Roasted Cauliflower  Béchamel Sauce with Chickpeas and Brown Rice, serves 2

For the  béchamel:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dash or two of cayenne pepper

For the roasted cauliflower with chickpeas and brown rice:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 15 ounce can chickpeas (about 1 cup cooked), rinsed and drained
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
4-6 (or more) cloves garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, cauliflower, garlic, salt, and pepper. Evenly spread the mixture on a baking sheet.
3. Bake until the cauliflower is lightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally through the cooking process, about 20-25 minutes.
4. When cool, place about 1 cup of the vegetable mixture in a food processor. Add enough milk, 1-2 tablespoons, to puree until smooth. Set aside.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the brown rice and chickpeas by cooking the chickpeas with the rice. If using canned beans or precooked beans, no need to adjust the liquid to rice ratio.
6. To prepare the béchamel sauce, begin by melting butter in a large sauce pan. Add flour and mix with butter. Stir frequently. Cook until mixture is the color of sand, depending on temperature of pan, may take 4-10 minutes.
7. Add milk and pureed roasted cauliflower mixture to pan, stir until incorporated. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once sauce has reached a boil, turn heat down and simmer gently for 10 minutes.. Season with salt and black pepper.
8.  To reheat the remaining roasted cauliflower, add the cauliflower to the rice/bean mixture after the rice has cooked and is sitting with the lid on the pot the warm burner.
9. Serve the béchamel sauce over the rice, chickpeas, and roasted cauliflower.