Mary Berry’s Cauliflower Pie is made with cauliflower, leeks, button mushrooms, frozen peas, ready-rolled puff pastry, butter, and a rich cheese sauce featuring Cheddar and Parmesan. This tasty Cauliflower Pie recipe creates a hearty dinner that takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to prepare and can serve up to 6 people.
Ingredients Needed
For the Pie:
- 1 large cauliflower
- 2 leeks, trimmed and cut into 2cm (¾in) slices
- 115g (4oz) frozen petits pois / ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 x 375g (13oz) packet ready-rolled puff pastry
- Knob of butter / 1 tablespoon butter
- 200g (7oz) button mushrooms, halved / 2 cups button mushrooms
- 1 egg, beaten
For the Cheese Sauce:
- 55g (2oz) butter / 4 tablespoons butter
- 55g (2oz) plain flour / ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 450ml (¾ pint) hot milk / 1 ¾ cups hot milk
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 115g (4oz) mature Cheddar, coarsely grated / 1 cup coarsely grated mature Cheddar cheese
- 55g (2oz) Parmesan, coarsely grated / ½ cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
How To Make Cauliflower Pie
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. You will need a fairly deep 28cm (11in) diameter dish or a 3-pint dish.
- Prepare the Vegetables: Break the cauliflower into fairly small, even-sized florets, chopping some of the smaller leaves into pieces. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the leeks and boil for 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and leaves, bringing back to a boil for 3 minutes until just tender. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.
- Make the Cheese Sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add the hot milk, whisking until thickened. Stir in the mustard, Cheddar, and Parmesan, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
- Cook the Mushrooms: Heat the butter over high heat, pan-fry the mushrooms for 3 minutes until golden, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Add all the cold vegetables and frozen peas to the cheese sauce, stir, and check the seasoning. Spoon into the pie dish.
- Prepare the Pastry: Unroll the pastry and remove a 7cm (2¾in) strip from the short side and chill in the fridge. Roll out the remaining pastry to be slightly bigger than the top of your pie dish. Brush the beaten egg around the edge of the dish, then place the pastry on top and press down on the edges to seal. Trim any excess pastry with a sharp knife and make a small slit in the center for steam to escape. Brush the top with beaten egg.
- Add Decorative Pastry: Roll out the reserved strip of pastry to be a bit thinner, then roll it up tightly. Using a sharp knife, slice to make long thin strips. Unravel and dip them into the egg wash, then arrange on top of the pie in a random pattern.
- Bake the Pie: Bake in the preheated oven for about 40–45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Overcook the Veggies: When boiling the leeks and cauliflower, make sure they are just tender. Overcooking can make them mushy and affect the pie’s texture.
- Let the Cheese Sauce Cool: After making the cheese sauce, let it cool for about 5 minutes before adding the vegetables. This helps prevent the vegetables from losing their color and texture.
- Seal the Pastry Well: When placing the pastry on the pie, press down firmly on the edges to seal it. This helps keep the filling inside and prevents leaks during baking.
- Watch the Baking Time: Keep an eye on the pie as it bakes. If the pastry browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil to prevent burning while the filling cooks through.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers?
- Refrigerate: First, let the leftover Cauliflower Pie cool until it reaches room temperature. Then, cover it tightly with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Allow the Cauliflower Pie to cool completely before freezing. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil or place it in a freezer-safe container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Reheat: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the Cauliflower Pie in an oven-safe dish, cover it with aluminum foil to keep it moist, and heat for about 20-25 minutes or until warmed through.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 of 6 servings
- Calories: 316
- Total Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Cholesterol: 167mg
- Sodium: 974mg
- Potassium: 701mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 14g
- Dietary Fiber: 4g
- Sugars: 4g
- Protein: 19g
Try More Mary Berry Recipes:
- Mary Berry Chocolate Truffles
- Mary Berry Lemon And Poppy Seed Loaf Cake
- Mary Berry Leftover Roast Pork Fried Rice
- Mary Berry Butternut Squash And Red Pepper Soup
Mary Berry Cauliflower Pie
Description
Mary Berry’s Cauliflower Pie is made with cauliflower, leeks, button mushrooms, frozen peas, ready-rolled puff pastry, butter, and a rich cheese sauce featuring Cheddar and Parmesan. This tasty Cauliflower Pie recipe creates a hearty dinner that takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to prepare and can serve up to 6 people.
Ingredients
For the Pie:
For the Cheese Sauce:
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. You will need a fairly deep 28cm (11in) diameter dish or a 3-pint dish.
- Prepare the Vegetables: Break the cauliflower into fairly small, even-sized florets, chopping some of the smaller leaves into pieces. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the leeks and boil for 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and leaves, bringing back to a boil for 3 minutes until just tender. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.
- Make the Cheese Sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add the hot milk, whisking until thickened. Stir in the mustard, Cheddar, and Parmesan, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
- Cook the Mushrooms: Heat the butter over high heat, pan-fry the mushrooms for 3 minutes until golden, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Add all the cold vegetables and frozen peas to the cheese sauce, stir, and check the seasoning. Spoon into the pie dish.
- Prepare the Pastry: Unroll the pastry and remove a 7cm (2¾in) strip from the short side and chill in the fridge. Roll out the remaining pastry to be slightly bigger than the top of your pie dish. Brush the beaten egg around the edge of the dish, then place the pastry on top and press down on the edges to seal. Trim any excess pastry with a sharp knife and make a small slit in the center for steam to escape. Brush the top with beaten egg.
- Add Decorative Pastry: Roll out the reserved strip of pastry to be a bit thinner, then roll it up tightly. Using a sharp knife, slice to make long thin strips. Unravel and dip them into the egg wash, then arrange on top of the pie in a random pattern.
- Bake the Pie: Bake in the preheated oven for about 40–45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Notes
- Don’t Overcook the Veggies: When boiling the leeks and cauliflower, make sure they are just tender. Overcooking can make them mushy and affect the pie’s texture.
- Let the Cheese Sauce Cool: After making the cheese sauce, let it cool for about 5 minutes before adding the vegetables. This helps prevent the vegetables from losing their color and texture.
- Seal the Pastry Well: When placing the pastry on the pie, press down firmly on the edges to seal it. This helps keep the filling inside and prevents leaks during baking.
- Watch the Baking Time: Keep an eye on the pie as it bakes. If the pastry browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil to prevent burning while the filling cooks through.
Mary Berry Cauliflower Pie