Cauliflower Patties with Yellow Cheese Recipe
Cauliflower patties with yellow cheese are a homemade vegetarian alternative to minced meat cutlets, well known from Polish dinners. They are soft inside and slightly gooey from the cheese, with a distinctly crispy, golden breadcrumb coating on the outside. The recipe uses cooked cauliflower and simple fridge staples, so it’s easy to add to your everyday menu.
These patties are a classic example of Polish home cooking that turns boiled vegetables into a main course. They often appear on meatless days, especially Fridays, and are familiar to many people from school canteens and family dinners.
These are homemade patties that taste familiar like classic minced cutlets but are lighter and full of vegetables. Cauliflower, cheese and parsley create a distinctly savoury yet not heavy flavour that children also tend to enjoy. They’re a great way to use up cauliflower that was cooked earlier.
Why this version works
- The cauliflower is well dried off before chopping, so the mixture isn’t watery and the patties don’t fall apart in the pan.
- A simple breadcrumb-only coating gives a very crispy crust without the need for double breading.
- Yellow cheese binds the mixture and adds a gooey centre, making the patties as filling as classic minced meat cutlets.
- Small pieces of cauliflower in the mixture give a more pleasant texture than a smooth purée.
Chef's tips
The most common issue is cauliflower that’s too wet – after draining, give it a few minutes in the sieve until it stops steaming and feels just lukewarm to the touch., When shaping, I always moisten my hands with water or oil; the mixture sticks much less and it’s easier to form even, compact patties., In the pan, don’t move them straight away: wait until the bottom is clearly golden and crispy, then the patty will release on its own and be easy to flip.
How to serve
Serve with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes or groats and a simple slaw made from carrot, cabbage or beetroot., They also work great in a bun like a burger – with lettuce, a slice of tomato and a yogurt-garlic sauce., For a party, you can make smaller patties and serve them with a bold dip, such as garlic or tomato sauce.
Watch out for
- Don’t overcook the cauliflower – if it’s too soft it will absorb water and the mixture will be runny and hard to shape.
- Don’t fry over too high a heat, or the coating will burn before the centre heats through and the cheese melts.
- If the mixture sticks heavily to your hands, moisten them and add a little more breadcrumbs instead of adding another egg.
Substitutions
- You can replace part of the yellow cheese with grated Parmesan for a more pronounced, salty flavour.
- Breadcrumbs in the mixture can be swapped for fine rolled oats, but then the mixture should rest for 10–15 minutes.
- Instead of parsley, you can use chives or dill if that’s what you have on hand.
Ingredients
- cauliflower - 1 piece
- cheese hard yellow cheese - 100 g
- eggs - 2 pieces
- breadcrumbs - 80 g
- parsley flat-leaf or curly - 2 tablespoon
- garlic - 1 clove
- salt and pepper
- oil vegetable - 4 tablespoon
Preparation
- Clean the cauliflower of leaves, divide into florets and rinse thoroughly under running water, especially around the core where sand tends to collect.
- Bring a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt to the boil. Add the cauliflower florets and cook for 8–10 minutes, until a fork goes in easily but the cauliflower still holds its shape and doesn’t fall apart into fibres.
- Drain the cauliflower in a sieve and leave for a few minutes until it stops steaming heavily and is just lukewarm. Then chop it finely or mash with a fork, leaving small pieces for a nicer texture.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a bowl. Add the finely grated cheese, eggs, chopped parsley, pressed garlic, 3–4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
- Mix the mixture with your hand or a spoon until the ingredients are well combined. If it’s too wet and spreads in your hand, add breadcrumbs a tablespoon at a time until it’s sticky but you can form compact patties that hold their shape.
- Spread the remaining breadcrumbs on a flat plate. Moisten your hands with water or oil, form palm-sized, slightly flattened patties and coat them thoroughly in breadcrumbs, pressing the coating onto the surface.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat until it starts to shimmer lightly. Place the patties in the pan with some space between them and fry for 3–4 minutes on each side, until the coating is clearly golden and crispy.
- If the patties are browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low so the centre has time to heat through and the cheese inside melts gently. Avoid moving the patties around too often until the bottom is well browned.
- Place the fried patties on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve hot, preferably straight after frying, when the coating is at its crispiest.
Storage
Store the patties in the fridge for up to 3 days once completely cooled. The coating softens after chilling, so reheat them in a dry pan or in the oven to bring back the crispiness and serve them as if freshly fried.
I most often make them from cauliflower left over after soup – it shortens the cooking and cooling time. I always set a few aside for the next day, because after reheating in the oven they go perfectly into a lunchbox instead of meat.
