(Paleo) Broccoli Au Gratin

I know I said it over and over again but it doesn’t hurt to say it one more time: broccoli are a deal-breaker. Like beets in (almost) anything or asparagus. It’s nearly impossible to mention broccoli without at least someone in the room saying “ew”.
Which is the very reason why I like to procrastinate and share yet another recipe with broccoli today.
Because I want to show you guys that cruciferous vegetable is actually delicious if cooked the right way.
Enters (Paleo) Broccoli Au Gratin: broccoli topped with an amazing paleo bechamel sauce and baked to cheesy perfection. Delicious.

While I think we can all agree that gratins are pretty amazing, this gratin trumps the competition any day.
It’s delicious, easy to make, and super healthy.
I mean, broccoli topped with a paleo bechamel sauce made with cauliflower. It doesn’t get any healthier than this.
Yes, there’s some cheese. Let’s face it though, a gratin without cheese wouldn’t be a gratin.

In all honesty it’s a pretty standard recipe for broccoli au gratin: broccoli, bechamel sauce, and cheese.
Except that the bechamel is made with cauliflower and eggs instead of butter and flour.
It makes for a super yummy sauce that works perfectly with gratins.
I like to use Gruyère cheese in my gratins but if you can’t find it, feel free to use Emmental or Swiss cheese.
Few simple ingredients create a rustic yet rich and super healthy dish. Believe me when I say that even broccoli skeptics will become a fan.

(Paleo) Broccoli Au Gratin                                                                                                                    Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets (should yield approximately 4 cups of broccoli florets)

Paleo bechamel

2 cups cauliflower florets
¾ cup milk (your choice, I used almond milk)
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 eggs
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (or Emmental or Swiss cheese), divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle. Lightly grease a 8x8-inch baking dish and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add broccoli florets, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
To make the paleo bechamel, combine cauliflower florets, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Remove from the heat and using an immersion blender blend until smooth (be careful not to splatter yourself.) Add eggs, one at a time, working quickly with the immersion blender so that the eggs don’t poach. At this point the bechamel will look like a thin white foamy liquid, that’s okay.
Add nutmeg and ¾ cup of the cheese and stir to combine.
Place broccoli in the baking dish and spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve!

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 224 calories, 14 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of protein.