Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust

I’ve been wanting to make a cauliflower cheese pie for a few weeks now. Cauliflower was on sale this week so I bought a large head in hopes of finally making this vegetable dish. My husband is not real fond of cauliflower, but I thought if I could disguise it with some cheese he might eat it. Then last week I saw a recipe that used potatoes as a crust for a vegetable pie. We love potatoes so I thought I’d combine the two recipes and have a cauliflower cheese pie with the potato crust.

I won’t lie; this recipe takes a while to make. I had to start it an hour and a half before we were having dinner. It wasn’t hard to make, just time consuming. However, when I pulled the final product out of the oven both Frank and I were drooling over the cheesy goodness and the delicious smell.

The first bite was hot, creamy, and cheesy with a crispy crust. I could taste the soft cauliflower in a cheese herb mixture baked in the crispy potato crust with a mound of cheese on top. The result was a great tasting vegetable dish. Even my husband enjoyed the flavors of this veggie cheese pie.

I will be making this dish again, but next time I’ll make sure we have company over. While this dish is great when it is right out of the oven, it’s just ok when it’s reheated the day. The crispy potato crust gets softer and the flavor just isn’t the same. This recipe makes too much for the two of us to eat in one sitting, but I think it would be perfect for a holiday dinner or a dinner party.

Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust (adapted from Branny Boils Over)

Crust:

2 c. shredded raw potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)

1 medium onion, grated

1 t. salt
1 egg, beaten

Filling:

2 T. butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. thyme
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 ¼ c. part skim milk cheddar cheese
¼ c. parmesan cheese
½ t. salt
2 eggs
¼ c. low fat milk
1 t. black pepper
1 t. smoked paprika

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine potatoes, medium onion, salt, and egg in a bowl. Mix. Pat into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Cook for 30 minutes then spritz with cooking spray. Bake 15 more minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion, cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute, stirring. Add the time, cauliflower, and salt. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes.

4. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and pepper. Add milk slowly.

5. Spread half of the cheddar cheese on the crust. Top with cauliflower mix then the rest of the cheddar cheese. Pour egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and paprika on top.

6. Bake 35-40 minutes.