Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, toss cauliflower florets with cooking oil until evenly coated. Sprinkle Kinder's Buttery Steakhouse Seasoning over the florets and toss to coat.
- Spread the florets in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and caramelized.
- While the cauliflower roasts, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add cream cheese and stir continuously until fully blended and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add heavy whipping cream and stir until evenly incorporated.
- Reduce heat to low and add the shredded cheese in batches, stirring after each addition until fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Optional: Fold crumbled bacon and a small amount of reserved bacon grease into the cheese sauce for extra depth of flavor.
- To serve: pour the cheese sauce over the roasted cauliflower in the baking dish, or transfer the cauliflower to a serving dish and serve the sauce alongside for dipping.
Nutrition
Notes
- High heat only — 450°F chars the floret edges and locks the seasoning in. Drop to 400°F and you get steam, not roast.
- Single layer, spaced out — Pack the pan and the florets sweat instead of brown. Give each piece room.
- Low heat for the sauce — Medium-low to low. High heat splits the dairy into a grainy mess. Patient stirring pays off here.
- Shred your own cheese — Pre-shredded is coated in anti-caking agents. Freshly shredded melts clean and pulls the sauce together.
- Bacon grease in the sauce — If you're making the bacon option, save a teaspoon of the fat and fold it into the finished sauce. It adds depth the cheese alone doesn't reach.
- Two ways to go. Pour the cheese sauce directly over the roasted cauliflower in the baking dish and serve as a substantial side — it holds up next to grilled steak, smoked chicken, or anything off the grill. Or keep them separate: transfer the florets to a serving board and put the sauce in a bowl for dipping. That version works as a sharable appetizer at game day or a cookout.
- Either way, finish with something that cuts through the richness. Chopped fresh chives, crumbled bacon, or a shake of smoked paprika all work. A cold lager is the right call on the drink side — the bitterness balances the butter and cream. A medium-bodied red works too if you're plating this as a dinner side.
- Store the roasted cauliflower and cheese sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator — up to 3 days. Don't combine them before storage or the cauliflower goes soft.
- To reheat the sauce: warm over low heat with a splash of cream or milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Avoid high heat — it breaks the dairy.
- To reheat the cauliflower: spread on a baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 8–10 minutes. It won't fully recover the original char, but it'll restore enough texture to hold up against the sauce.