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Cauliflower and Spinach Gratin

A baked gratin of cauliflower and spinach topped with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Cauliflower and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 687 recipes. Both carry trans-2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓

Cauliflower and Spinach Gratin

Oven375°F
Time35 to 45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the vegetables

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Coat shallow 2-quart gratin or baking dish (approximately 11 1/2 x 8 inches) with cooking spray.

  3. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

  4. Add cauliflower and cook until tender, 7 to 9 minutes.

  5. Drain cauliflower, rinse under cold running water, then drain again.

  6. Set cauliflower aside.

  7. In same pot over medium‑high heat, cook spinach with just rinsing water clinging to leaves, stirring often, just until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.

  8. Drain spinach, rinse under cold running water, then drain again.

  9. Press out excess water from spinach.

  10. Set spinach aside.

Make the topping and sauce

  1. In food processor, process bread until coarse crumbs form.

  2. Transfer bread crumbs to small bowl.

  3. Add oil to bread crumbs and toss to coat.

  4. Set bread crumb mixture aside.

  5. In food processor, combine tofu, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne and process until smooth and creamy.

  6. Add Parmesan to tofu mixture and pulse just until mixed in.

Assemble and bake

  1. Scrape tofu mixture into large bowl.

  2. Add cauliflower and spinach to large bowl.

  3. Stir with a rubber spatula to coat vegetables with sauce.

  4. Scrape vegetable mixture into prepared gratin dish, distributing evenly.

  5. Sprinkle reserved bread crumb mixture evenly over top.

  6. Bake until gratin is heated through and top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.

  7. Serve hot.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

839Calories
36 gProtein
28 gFat
113 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Tofu100g firm76
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cauliflower + mustardtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together687 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  2. Cauliflower + spinachtop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together117 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

  3. Spinach + mustardtop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together503 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  4. Spinach + olivetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,971 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

  5. Wheat + olivetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,100 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cauliflower
Forms the bulk of the gratin, becoming tender and soft when cooked through.
Silken tofu
Blends into a creamy, smooth sauce that coats the vegetables and binds them together.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory, salty flavor and helps the top brown as it bakes.
Dijon mustard
Adds sharp, tangy acidity that balances the creamy tofu sauce.
Whole-wheat bread
Forms crumbs that make a crisp, golden topping when tossed with oil.

The step that matters

Pressing excess water from the spinach. Spinach holds a lot of water. Leaving it in would thin the tofu sauce and make the gratin soggy, so the spinach should be squeezed dry before mixing.

Swap the cauliflower

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (spinach, wheat, bread, olive, tofu, mustard, pepper):

  1. Lettucefits better
  2. Broccolifits better
  3. Welsh onionfits better
  4. Cauliflowerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against spinach, wheat, bread, olive, tofu, mustard, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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