Try This—Cauliflower ‘Bread’ Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I burned some cauliflower the other day. Maybe I should say I seared it so it sounds more intentional. I was scraping the little crispies off of the bottom of the pan and eating them because, you know, waste not want not. As it turns out, even burning– I mean searing— cauliflower can’t take away from its deliciousness. I figured there had to be a way to get that crispy cauliflower flavor without setting off fire alarms.

So I tooled around the internet looking for recipes. There are lots of cauliflower ‘bread’ recipes out there. Crispy and delicious looking recipes. And then I stumbled upon a grilled cheese recipe. You guys! Grilled cheese! You absolutely have to try this.

Cauliflower ‘Bread’ Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
Makes 2 grilled cheese sandwiches

Cauliflower crust “bread” slices

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets (should yield 3 cups of cauliflower rice)
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Grilled cheese

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
⅓ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated/shredded, room temperature

Directions

Cauliflower crust “bread” slices

Preheat oven to 450°F and place a rack in the middle.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and liberally grease it with olive oil. Set aside.
In a food processor rice the cauliflower florets (it should be evenly chopped but not completely pulverized).
Transfer cauliflower rice (about 3 cups) to a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 8 minutes, until cooked.
Place the cauliflower rice in a tea towel and twist it to squeeze as much moisture as you can. This is very important. The cauliflower rice needs to be dry, otherwise you’ll end up with mushy dough, impossible to use as slices of bread.
Transfer the cauliflower rice to a mixing bowl, add egg, mozzarella, salt, pepper and mix well.
Spread cauliflower mixture onto the lined baking sheet and shape into 4 squares.
Place in the oven and bake for about 16 minutes until golden.
Remove and let cool 10 minutes before peeling them off the parchment paper (be careful not to break them!)

Assemble cauliflower crust grilled cheese

Heat a pan over medium heat.
Butter one side of each slice of cauliflower crust bread (preferably the top part).
Place one slice of bread in the pan, buttered side down, sprinkle with the cheese and top with the remaining slice of cauliflower crust bread, buttered side up.
Turn the heat down a notch and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes.
Gently flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2 to 4 minutes.