Skillet Cheesy Cauliflower with Bacon
Freeze-dried cauliflower, shelf-stable bacon, and a cornstarch cheese sauce built in one pan.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 19 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried cauliflower florets | 3 cups | rehydrates in about ten minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Precooked shelf-stable bacon | 3 oz | the vacuum-sealed kind, no refrigeration until opened |
| Dried minced onion | 3 tbsp | |
| Whole milk powder | 1/3 cup | |
| Cornstarch | 1 tbsp | |
| Shredded cheddar | 4 oz | a hard block grated at camp keeps better than pre-shredded |
| Grated parmesan | 1/4 cup | the dry shelf-stable canister kind |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Oil or butter | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Pour 400 ml of boiled water over the cauliflower and dried onion in the skillet. Let it sit ten minutes, then drain off whatever water is left and hold it in a cup.
- Tear the bacon into pieces and crisp it in the dry skillet over the fire. Pull it out onto the lid.
- Add the oil and the drained cauliflower and onion. Cook until the edges brown, five minutes or so, stirring now and then.
- Whisk the milk powder and cornstarch into 150 ml of the reserved water. Lumps here become lumps in the sauce, so break them up first.
- Pour it over the cauliflower and cook two minutes until it thickens and coats.
- Scatter both cheeses and the bacon over the top, cover with foil or the lid, and pull the pan to the edge of the coals for eight minutes until the cheese melts.
The original is a home skillet dish leaning on fresh cauliflower, whole milk, and refrigerated bacon. All three got swapped. Freeze-dried cauliflower comes back close enough once it browns, milk powder plus cornstarch makes the same sauce out of a bag, and precooked bacon is shelf-stable until you cut the seal.
Drain the cauliflower before browning it, and save that water for the sauce. Skip the draining and you get a pan of soup with cheese floating in it. The cornstarch is what turns the milk into something that clings; without it the liquid just pools under the vegetables.
Packing
Milk powder, cornstarch, dried onion, salt, and pepper premix into one bag at home. Cauliflower in its own bag; it crushes to powder if you pack anything on top of it. Cheese and bacon stay sealed until you use them.
Variations
- Instant potato flakes instead of cornstarch thicken it faster and add calories.
- A shake of smoked paprika covers for bacon if you leave the meat home.
- Foil packet version: skip the sauce, wrap everything with the cheese on top, and bury it in coals for fifteen minutes.
https://campfirefoodie.com/skillet-cheesy-cauliflower-bake-recipe