If you don’t live in the Northeast, you don’t know the joys of Wegman’s grocery stores. You West Coasters can keep your Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s as long as I’ve got Wegman’s. Not only is it an awesome place to shop, it’s also great for recipe inspiration.

One of my all time favorite recipes is cauliflower and spinach au gratin. It feels special, so it’s prefect for holiday meals, but it isn’t complicated, so it could easily work for a weeknight side. It has all the gooey decadence of macaroni and cheese or scalloped potatoes, but because the base is vegetables instead of a starch, it’s healthier (at least that’s what I tell myself when I go back for seconds).

Cauliflower and spinach au gratin on our holiday table. 

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Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 10 oz baby spinach
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers, divided
  • 1 cup Alfredo sauce
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or whatever you have on hand)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Spread cauliflower florets out on a tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss them around to coat.
  • Roast the cauliflower for 20-30 minutes, stirring at least once. Take it out of the oven when it’s fork tender, but not mushy.  You want to get some nice caramelization on it, like this:
Roasted cauliflower.
  • Lower oven temp to 350 degrees.
  • Use your largest mixing bowl — this stuff is kind of a bear to combine, and using too small a bowl will just have you cursing as it all falls onto the counter. Into the bowl add the roasted cauliflower, the spinach, the Alfredo sauce, the cheese, 1/2 cup of crushed crackers, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
  • Spray a 9×13 baking dish with oil, and then spread mixture into pan.
Cauliflower and spinach mixture before baking. 
  • Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Half way through, stir once, and spread remaining cracker crumbs on top.
Now eat and enjoy!