German Cauliflower Bomb: Oma's Blumenkohl-Bombe Rezept

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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Baked cauliflower bomb: a head of cauliflower covered with meatloaf and surrounded with bacon. A yummy bomb of flavor!

This baked cauliflower bomb, aka Blumenkohl-Bombe, is a centerpiece dish that gets rave reviews EVERY TIME! Cauliflower, meatloaf and bacon. Together. What's not to like? 

On top of that, it's actually quite easy to make. Just follow the steps below and you'll be amazing your family and guests.

Just imagine how surprised they will be when you cut into a bacon-covered "bomb" and see the insides. 

And, how do you cut it, you ask?

Just as if it were a cake. Cut wedges and serve with a cake server. Serve it with its wonderful cauliflower mustard sauce. Boiled potatoes are all that are needed on the side.

A new favorite for your family!

How to wrap bacon Around the Cauliflower Meatloaf Bomb

You can wrap the bacon around the "bomb" anyway you like. Sometimes I do it vertically, as shown below.

You choose which way to wrap the bacon around the "bomb". Here I've done it vertically.

Doing it this way, I think it looks pretty interesting when the bacon ends crisp and stand up. It makes for an unusual presentation, for sure.

If you wish, you can fasten the ends with wooden picks. That way, the ends don't stand up once they are cooked. However, make sure you remove all the picks before you serve. For me, though, I think it looks pretty fancy when the bacon ends crisp and stand up.

Out of the oven and ready to serve. I think it looks pretty spectacular with those bits of bacon standing up.

Alternatively, the bacon can be wrapped around the cauliflower horizontally.

I find this way straightforward to do. Start at the bottom and just keep winding the bacon around the cauliflower, slightly overlapping the rows. 

LOL! Wrapping the bacon horizontally makes it look like a beehive!

Doing it this way usually makes the final bombe easier to cut.

However, either way works and really depends on how you want the final dish to look. Once the slice is served with the accompanying sauce, it really doesn't matter which what the bacon was placed!

Cutting into the Cauliflower Bombe is always a surprise for unsuspecting guests.

Oma's tips for making this Baked Cauliflower Bomb

• You can add 1 cup of milk to the cooking water when cooking the cauliflower. This will help keep the cauliflower white.  
• Instead of the milk, you can add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the cooking water for the cauliflower.
• Personally, I just use water and don't have any problems. Make sure you keep the cooking water. It's perfect for when you are making soups. Here, of course, it's used for making the sauce.
• Use all beef instead of the beef/pork mixture.
• Don't have a stale roll to use? Use ½ cup breadcrumbs instead. Don't soak them! Just add them to the meat mixture.

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Germans and blumenkohl

We Germans have a deep-rooted love for cauliflower, which has long held a special place in our traditional cuisine. Introduced widely across Europe in the 16th century, cauliflower quickly became a favorite in Germany due to its adaptability and mild, nutty flavor.

We like it steamed, baked, or in rich, creamy gratins, which are popular at family dinners and holiday meals, enjoying it both a main ingredient or a side dish. 

Some more Cauliflower Dishes:

• Oma's Cauliflower with Butter Breadcrumbs
• Oma's Creamed Cauliflower Soup
• Oma's Chicken Noodle Soup with Cauliflower
• Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup
• Air-Fried Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Oma says,

This dish comes from the region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It's a place where the dishes are hearty and based on what's easily grown, hunted, or caught. Cauliflower is also widely grown in Lower Saxony.

As in the dish below, though the ingredients are humble, the resulting dish is wunderbar!

Ready to Make This baked Cauliflower Meatloaf?

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German Cauliflower Bomb: Oma's Blumenkohl-Bombe Rezept

This baked cauliflower bomb, aka Blumenkohl-Bombe, is a centerpiece dish that gets rave reviews EVERY TIME! Cauliflower, meatloaf and bacon. Together. What's not to like? 

Just follow the easy steps below and you'll be amazing your family and guests. Just imagine how surprised they will be when you cut into a bacon-covered "bomb" and see the insides.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 100 minutes

Total Time 120 minutes

Servings:

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
• 2½ teaspoons salt, divided
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 stale kaiser roll, sliced
• ¾ cup milk, warmed
  
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• 3 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 - 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs, if needed
• 12 ounces lean sliced bacon
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons German mustard (or your favorite)
• freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Trim the stalk end of the cauliflower so that the head will sit flat, being careful to keep the head whole. Trim off any leaves. Cut an X into the stalk end to speed up the cooking time.
2. Put the cauliflower head into a large pot. Add hot water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the water is simmering and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cauliflower to a greased baking dish or rimmed baking sheet and place it stalk side down. Measure out 3 cups of the cooking liquid and reserve it to use for making the sauce.
3. Preheat the oven to 360°F.
4. In a small skillet, sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon butter, until they are softened, but not browned. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, place the sliced roll, pour over the warm milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Drain the milk and squeeze the slices to remove as much moisture as possible and to crumble them.
6. Into a large bowl, add the onions, crumbled roll, beef, pork, eggs, pepper, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Mix gently with your hands. If the mixture is too moist to hold together, add some breadcrumbs.
7. Press handfuls of meat mixture gently around the cauliflower to make a layer that is about 1 inch thick. Continue until the whole head is covered and all the meat is used. Wrap the bacon slices around the meat so that all the meat is covered.
8. Place the bomb into the oven (do not cover) and roast for about 70 to 80 minutes or until the bacon is browned and crisp.
9. While the bomb is baking, make the sauce by melting 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Stir in the flour and cook until the roux is smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth. Simmer for about 5 minutes, adding more cooking liquid if necessary. Add the mustard and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cover the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.
10. Serve wedges of the baked cauliflower bomb with sauce.

Notes/Hints:

• When you are cooking the cauliflower, you don't want to let it get tender. You just want it to be slightly cooked.
• Don't have a stale roll to use? Use ½ cup breadcrumbs instead. Don't soak them! (omit the ¾ cup milk). Just add the breadcrumbs to the meat mixture.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

10.01.2024 revision update

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.