side dish recipes Archives - The Midnight Baker

Alfredo Cauliflower with Tomatoes & Prosciutto

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 00:00:21 +0000

Try this Alfredo cauliflower as a Thanksgiving side, but you’ll love it for year round.

Alfredo Cauliflower–Perfect Side Dish

I consider this Alfredo cauliflower the perfect side dish since it can wear many hats. And one of those hats is that it can also be a main course!

This is also a great recipe for the coming holidays. It will wow the family and any guests–trust me on this! Since it’s so rich, a little bit goes a long way as a side. This is one of those dishes where you just cannot be concerned with calories. However, a little splurging at holiday time is always permitted and this one is so worth it.

A Recipe That’s Adaptable

This Alfredo cauliflower can be adapted in several ways.

The full version has prosciutto tucked in randomly between the other ingredients. Prosciutto is also known as Parma ham in UK. It gets nice and crispy and adds so much flavor. Made the full way, this is also an excellent main dish. But if you don’t want to invest in prosciutto because I don’t think too many people actually have that on hand, it’s easily omitted. A good deli ham could probably be substituted but I’d advise using one that’s not watery.

In fact when you leave out the meat, it becomes a vegetarian (but unfortunately not vegan) main or side dish.

I wouldn’t suggest leaving out the blistered tomatoes as they are really important to the unique flavor here. Of course you can if you want to do so, but then it becomes like cauliflower cheese with different flavors.

Easy Sauce

The Alfredo sauce is so easy, there’s no reason not to make your own. All that’s involved is stirring a few ingredients together over the heat. There’s no fuss whatsoever to it. That way you know what’s in it.

However, if you must, a good-quality store-bought sauce can be used if you are really pressed for time and don’t want an additional pot to wash.

The Recipe

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Alfredo Cauliflower

So good you'll serve it as a main dish

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Roasting Tomatoes20

Total Time1 10

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cauliflower side dishes, holiday side dishes, roasted cauliflower with cheese sauce

Servings: 6

Calories: 492kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 large head fresh cauliflower
2 cups grape tomatoes
4 oz sliced prosciutto Parma ham in UK
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Parsley for garnish

Sauce:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Place tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil (I used about 2 tablespoons). Spread the tomatoes out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with desired amount of salt & pepper. Roast for approximately 20 minutes, turning halfway though. Tomatoes should be nicely blistered. Set aside.
Next, separate the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Blanch in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes; drain well.
Lightly grease a 3 qt/3L baking dish. Place the cauliflower and tomatoes in the dish, distributing each well. Tear prosciutto into large pieces and tuck it between, the cauliflower and tomatoes, again distributing it well.
Next, in a small saucepan, melt the butter then stir in the cream and bring it to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/4 cups of the cheese and simmer for another minute. Add any salt & pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce evenly over the cauliflower mixture, then top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden and prosciutto is crispy.

Nutrition

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12 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Some of the very best side dishes for your Thanksgiving table!

Here are some of my favorite sides for Thanksgiving.

Just click on each photo to take you to the recipe (won’t work on phones–see links below).

Here are the links for anyone on mobile, as the image map doesn’t work correctly on the small screen. Starting from top and working horizontally across:

Classic Stuffed Mushrooms
Easy Hawaiian Rolls
Broccoli Swiss Casserole
Candied Carrot Stix
Acorn Squash Cups
Creamy Onion Cheese Casserole
Praline Sweet Potato Crunch
7-Up Biscuits
Roasted Maple Brussels Sprouts
Choose Your Cheese Cauliflower Casserole
Heather’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Buttery Broccoli Cheese Casserole

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Buttery Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Buttery Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Very simple and unbelievably delicious. I first had this when it was served at an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner given by a neighbor whose plans changed due to bad weather. She’s long since moved to sunny Florida, but I have to thank Karen W. for this recipe since it’s a real keeper. It’s a great side for ham, pork or chicken, and of course, turkey. But it’s so rich and filling, I often eat it alone as a main dish.

The casserole dish is from Pillivuyt and it’s their “Eden” line. It’s a 2 quart round gratin. Pillivuyt is made in France and this is guaranteed not to craze EVER. Their glazes are diamond-hard and this ceramic ware is durable. Of course it’s pricey, but well worth it. Revol is another French manufacturer of the same quality. I purchased the Pillivuyt dish from Amazon.

The Recipe

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Buttery Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Very simple and unbelievably delicious side dish or vegetarian dish

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Side Dish/Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: broccoli casseroles, holiday side dishes, vegetable and cheese side dishes

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 223kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 – 10 oz blocks of frozen chopped broccoli
10 oz process cheese spread like Velveeta, cut into cubes
1 1/2 sticks butter 3/4 cup, divided
1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 2 quart casserole.
Cook broccoli according to package directions; drain well and set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the cheese spread with 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) of butter. Stir until smooth. Add broccoli and mix well. Place in prepared casserole. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter and add crushed crackers, mixing well to coat with butter. Top broccoli mixture with buttered crumbs.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and cracker crumbs begin to turn golden brown.

Video

Nutrition

Buttery Broccoli Cheese Casserole

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