Cauliflower is a healthy and tasty vegetable that has a lot of useful properties. It goes well with any kind of meat and most vegetables in light and tasty dishes, and the shape of cauliflower, which resembles the crown of a tree in a section, allows you to make a spectacular flow. In this article, we learn about the benefits and chemical composition of cauliflower, about cooking dishes with cheese, about quick recipes for stuffing cauliflowers, as well as what kind of meat is better to use for the filling.
Benefits and calories
Cauliflower is an amazing vegetable containing a large number of components that have a beneficial effect on the human body:
- amino acids: arginine and lysine;
- cellulose delicate structure;
- vitamins: C, B1, B6, B2, PP, A, H;
- pectic substances;
- trace elements: potassium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium;
- organic acids: malic, citric, folic, pantothenic.
Thanks to this composition cauliflower is easily absorbed by the body, does not irritate the gastrointestinal tract, and is recommended for use at any age. Baked cauliflower with minced meat has a moderate calorie content - 170 - 293 kcal per 100 g of the finished dish.
Step-by-step instructions for cooking food under cheese
Among the many recipes for cooking cauliflower casseroles with minced meat in the oven, two of them can be called basic. They are prepared from the same ingredients, but fundamentally different way of cooking.
Ingredients:
- cauliflower - 1 head;
- minced meat 0.5 kg .;
- onions - 1 pc .;
- greenery;
- carrots - 1 pc .;
- cheese - 200 g .;
- eggs - 2-3 pcs .;
- sour cream / mayonnaise - 100 g .;
- flour - 2-3 tbsp. l .;
- for fluffiness, you can add ⅓ tsp. soda, quenched with vinegar;
- butter for the lubrication form;
- spices to taste.
Ingredients preparation:
- Wash the cabbage and blanch for 15 minutes in boiling water.
- Chopped vegetables are added to mincemeat - onions, carrots, greens. The mixture is brought to semi-ready in the pan.
- Cheese is rubbed on a fine or medium grater.
Cooking:
- Boiled cauliflower head is divided into inflorescences.
- Inflorescences of cabbage, eggs, flour, ⅔ from shabby cheese, sour cream or mayonnaise are added to a deep bowl with pre-prepared stuffing.
- All ingredients are well mixed with spices (when using mayonnaise, it is important to take into account the amount of salt, so as not to over-salt the dish).
- The form is oiled and put into it the whole prepared mixture, sprinkled on top with the remaining cheese.
- The oven is heated to 180 - 200 ° C and baked for 30-45 minutes.
- Readiness is determined by the characteristic ruddy crust on top.
- After cooking, the dish should be allowed to cool, after which it is ready to serve.
Reference! This recipe can be modified with various additives.
To accurately cook a tasty dish, watch the video:
Under cream sauce
Ingredients remain the same, but cream sauce is used instead of sour cream or mayonnaise.
For its preparation you will need:
- flour - 1-3 tbsp. l .;
- cold cream of 20% / fat milk - 200 ml .;
- butter - 1 tbsp. l .;
- salt, black pepper to taste;
- You can also add garlic - 2 cloves;
- grated hard cheese - 150 g;
- nutmeg on the tip of a knife.
Cooking:
- Flour is fried in a dry pan until golden brown.
- Butter is added to the flour, and a little more slowly cooked over low heat with the addition of spices.
- Cream or milk is introduced into the mixture. Be sure to chilled.
- Stand on fire for 2 minutes.
Ready sauce is added to the basic recipe of baked cauliflower with minced meat in the oven. Other recipes for cooking cauliflower in the oven you can learn here.
Not sure if the recipe is right? Watch the video:
With soy sauce
This sauce can be used as an inclusion in the main recipe, adding 1-2 tbsp. l in the mixture before baking. Its main purpose is to serve directly with the prepared dish. Soy sauce complements its distinctive taste and smell.
With tomatoes
The basic recipe for cooking can be varied by adding tomatoes. In this case, you need to wash 1-2 tomatoes, if desired, peel and cut into slices. They are evenly spread on the surface of the dish, and sprinkled with grated hard cheese on top. It adds to the dish juiciness and bright taste, and also decorates its appearance.
You can find out how to cook cauliflower with tomatoes and other vegetables in this article.
A few quick recipes with photos
Cauliflower with minced meat in the oven is an original, simple and tasty dish that can be cooked with a few quick recipe modifications.
Stuffed vegetable, baked whole
For this recipe you will need:
- whole cauliflower head;
- minced meat - 300-500 g .;
- onions - 1 pc .;
- carrots - 1 pc .;
- eggs - 2 pcs .;
- sour cream - 200 ml .;
- hard cheese - 150 gr .;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
Cooking:
- Without disturbing the integrity of the cauliflower head, blanching is carried out - keeping in boiling water for 2-5 minutes for softening.
- Mince with chopped vegetables are blanched in a frying pan with added butter until half cooked.
- Cabbage spread on a large plate or baking sheet and stuffed with minced vegetables and placing it between inflorescences.
- Sour cream / mayonnaise / cream sauce is mixed with eggs and thoroughly soak the stuffed cauliflower head.
- Sprinkle with a thick layer of cheese and put in an oven preheated to 180 ° C.
- The dish is baked for 35-50 minutes.
After cooling or in the form of heat the cabbage is cut into slices, approximately counting on 4-5 servings.
Read how to cook cauliflower in the oven with sour cream and cheese, read here, and how to do it with cheese and eggs is written here.
Inflorescences in the meat "ball"
Ingredients remain unchanged, only the cooking method is different.:
- The cauliflower head is blanched and divided into florets.
- Vegetables, greens, eggs and spices are added to the mincemeat and form a “ball” out of it.
- Divided inflorescences "injected" in the stuffing.
- A billet is poured abundantly with mayonnaise / sour cream / cream sauce and sprinkled with grated cheese.
- The billet is placed in an oven, preheated 180 degrees and baked for 35-60 minutes, depending on the type of meat.
You can also make other delicious cauliflower dishes with cheese, the recipes of which can be found here.
What meat can I use?
This recipe is suitable for minced poultry, pork and beef. The difference is not only in taste, but also in calories and benefits of the dish. You can learn how to make cauliflower with meat in the oven according to different recipes in this material.
Beef
Baking time will be 45-50 minutes, and the calorie content of the dish is 284 kcal per 100 g. Beef, despite its high energy value, is one of the easiest meat products for assimilation and is often used in dietary nutrition, and also has a rich composition of proteins, vitamins, macro- and microelements, and heme iron, which is necessary to maintain normal levels. hemoglobin and collagen.
Pork
One of the fattest kinds of meat, but at the same time loved by many people. Cooking time with this minced meat will be about 50 minutes, and the caloric content will be 293 kcal per 100 g. The fat content in this dish will be higher in order than ground beef.
Chicken
The dish in this case will be practically fat free, and calorie chicken dishes is only 173 kcal / 100 g. Cooking time will be only 30-35 minutes. Chicken is a valuable source of protein and belongs to the dietary types of meat. About how you can still cook cauliflower with chicken in the oven, we told in a separate material.
Filing options
Whole cauliflower baked in the oven itself will be a wonderful decoration of the table, thanks to the original appearance. When serving, it is cut into slices, which are served along with cream cheese, soy or garlic sauce.
The basic recipe can be used for cooking in pots, which look appetizing and attractive, and also does not require additional actions for serving the dish. When serving baked cabbage with minced meat, in the original version of the recipe, the whole dish is laid out on a large plate and cut into portions like a pie. This dish can be positioned as a main and as a snack and does not require additional side dishes due to the ingredients in the composition.
Baked cauliflower with minced meat is a recipe that everyone can interpret to their own taste by adding to it their favorite foods: mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic. A simple and tasty dish will allow you to discover this healthy vegetable in a new way.
