• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
101 Cooking For Two
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • FAQs/Help
  • Shop
  • Best Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • FAQs/Help
  • Shop
  • Best Recipes
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • FAQs/Help
    • Shop
    • Best Recipes
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    🏠Home » Recipes » Side Dish Recipes

    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

    Feb 25, 2010 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: Aug 3, 2023 · 25 Comments

    Jump to Recipe - TOC - Print

    This Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole is easy to make with frozen or fresh cauliflower and loads of good things in only 30 minutes. Everybody will love it, but it's perfect for gluten-free, low-carb, and keto diets.

    cheesy cauliflower casserole on white plate
    Jump To:
    • 😊Why you will love this recipe
    • 👨‍🍳How to Make Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
    • The Cauliflower
    • ❓FAQs
    • 📖 Low-Carb Recipes
    • Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖 Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    This cheese cauliflower bake is a delicious vegetable side dish with tender mashed cauliflower in a flavorful cheesy sauce using all-natural products.

    😊Why you will love this recipe

    • A great vegetable side dish for potato lovers.
    • It fits well in gluten-free, low-carb, and keto diets.
    • It only takes 30 minutes to complete and is easy enough for novice cooks.
    • It can be made ahead and stored.
    • Easy to modify by using a different cheese or adding flavor with your favorite spices and herbs.
    • Perfect for casual or fancy meals.
    • The whole family, including the kids, will love this cauliflower casserole.

    I was initially inspired by my Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes when we wanted a smaller non-potato casserole side dish over ten years ago and repeated many times since.

    👨‍🍳How to Make Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

    1. Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
    2. Cook cauliflower florets in the microwave.
    3. Slice green onions.
    4. Mash the cauliflower with a potato masher. A food processor can be used, but you want some texture, not creamy.
    5. Add cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onion, salt, and pepper. Add bacon if using. Stir well.
    6. Mix well and pour the mixture into a prepared baking dish.
    7. Bake until the top is browned—about 20 minutes.
    8. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

    The Cauliflower

    This is a perfect frozen cauliflower recipe—no need to thaw the cauliflower. Just cook it according to the package instructions.

    The recipe is for one pound of florets, but bags have gotten smaller. Now, most frozen cauliflower comes in 12 oz. bags. If you use 12 oz., please adjust other ingredients.

    You can use fresh cauliflower. One medium head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds) will trim out to about 1 pound of well-trimmed florets.

    You should precook the fresh cauliflower in a microwave or boil it.

    For the Microwave: Place the cauliflower florets in a large microwave-safe bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover the bowl loosely but not tightly. Cook on high until tender, 4 to 5 minutes, and drain.

    ❓FAQs

    Can cauliflower casserole be frozen?

    Yes. You can freeze cauliflower casserole after assembly but before cooking or freeze leftovers after cooking sealed airtight for three months.

    To reheat or cook, thaw completely.

    How to store and reheat leftover cauliflower casserole?

    Sealed airtight in the refrigerator for three days. Reheating in the microwave, but we prefer the oven.

    📖 Low-Carb Recipes

    Easy Low Carb Pizza

    Low Carb Parmesan-Sesame Crackers

    Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

    Simple Splenda Lemonade

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect
    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Casserole Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Low Carb/Keto Recipes, Side Dish Recipes

    Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.

    Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    cauliflower with onions cheese and sour cream

    Preheat the oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.

    putting cauliflower into microwave

    Use frozen cauliflower and cook 1 pound of cauliflower florets in the microwave. Follow the instructions on the package.

    For Fresh Cauliflower: One medium head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds) will trim out to about 1 pound of well-trimmed florets.
    Place the fresh cauliflower florets in a large microwave-safe bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover the bowl loosely but not tightly. Cook on high until tender, 4 to 5 minutes, then drain.

    slicing green onion on wooden board

    Slice 3 green onions.

    spray casserole dish with PAM

    Prepare a 6 by 9 baking dish or a 9 by 10 Corningware casserole dish with PAM cooking spray.

    mashiing cauliflower with potato masher

    Move cauliflower to the large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher or forks. You could also use a mixer or food processor, but you are NOT trying to cream this. Add sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onion, salt, and black pepper. Bacon is optional.

    moving casserole filling to baking dish

    Mix well and pour the mixture into a prepared baking pan. It may be refrigerated or cooked now. 

    baked cauliflower casserole in dish

    Cook in the oven until the top is browned—about 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    📖 Recipe

    cheesy cauliflower casserole

    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    This Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole is easy to make with frozen or fresh cauliflower and loads of good things in only 30 minutes. Everybody will love it, but it's perfect for gluten-free, low-carb, and keto diets.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.38 from 66 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 1 lb frozen cauliflower
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
    • 3 green onions - sliced thin
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper - coarse ground
    • 3 slices bacon - optional. Cooked and crumbled.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
      cauliflower with onions cheese and sour cream
    • Use frozen cauliflower and cook 1 pound of cauliflower florets in the microwave. Follow the instructions on the package.
      For Fresh Cauliflower: One medium head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds) will trim out to about 1 pound of well-trimmed florets.
      Place the fresh cauliflower florets in a large microwave-safe bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover the bowl loosely but not tightly. Cook on high until tender, 4 to 5 minutes, then drain.
      putting cauliflower into microwave
    • Prepare a 6 by 9 baking dish or a 9 by 10 Corningware casserole dish with PAM cooking spray.
      spray casserole dish with PAM
    • Slice 3 green onions.
      slicing green onion on wooden board
    • Move cauliflower to the large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher or forks. You could also use a mixer or food processor, but you are NOT trying to cream this. Add sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onion, salt, and black pepper. Bacon is optional.
      mashiing cauliflower with potato masher
    • Mix well and pour the mixture into a prepared baking pan. It may be refrigerated or cooked now. 
      moving casserole filling to baking dish
    • Cook in the oven until the top is browned—about 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
      baked cauliflower casserole in dish
    Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print. Otherwise step-by-step photos are in the post.

    Your Own Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. Make it "loaded" by adding 3 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon.
    2. It reheats well in a microwave, but we prefer the oven.
    3. Pan size. I usually use a 7 X 10 Corning Ware dish. A 6X9 or an 8 X 8 would be good, or anything in about that size range.
    4. Since this was originally published, many bags of frozen cauliflower have "shrunk" to 12 oz from 1 pound. The recipe will need to be decreased by 25%  if that is what you have. Cooking time will be about the same.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 263 kcal (13%)Carbohydrates : 8 g (3%)Protein : 11 g (22%)Fat : 20 g (31%)Saturated Fat : 13 g (65%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 0.4 gMonounsaturated Fat : 3 gCholesterol : 69 mg (23%)Sodium : 476 mg (20%)Potassium : 269 mg (8%)Fiber : 3 g (12%)Sugar : 5 g (6%)Vitamin A : 750 IU (15%)Vitamin C : 78.4 mg (95%)Calcium : 270 mg (27%)Iron : 0.9 mg (5%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course|Side Dish
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published February 25, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    dogs romping in yard
    Lilly and Molly 6 months 3 weeks

    More Side Dish Recipes

    • sausage dressing on a plate
      Mom's Sausage Stuffing
    • Sweet potato casserole on a white plate
      Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole
    • Green bean casserole on a plate
      Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup
    • broccoli slaw salad in a metal bowl
      Broccoli Slaw Salad
    DrDan face image
    About Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Hi, welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. I'm DrDan, I'm a board certified physician and a lover of cooking delicious easy recipes I have perfected at home for two or larger household. As an award winning educator, let me guide you to finding the joys of cooking everyday food at home.
    Read more About DrDan | Subscribe to the Newsletters

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a comment or ask a question. See comment policy for details. Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Jan M

      January 29, 2021 at 9:37 am

      3 stars
      This was easy and quick to prepare; I also appreciated the note provided as to the point it could be prepared ahead of time and baked later. I halved the recipe and there was still enough for 4 servings. However, I'm sorry to say we did not enjoy the taste of the sour cream at all. The extra bacon and cheese I added did nothing to cover up the sour cream taste. Some day, I may try it with yogurt as others have suggested, or cream cheese, but as is it just did not work for us.

      Reply
    2. Sally

      October 28, 2020 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      This is delicious and I make it a lot. I often don't have green onions so I use yellow onion or dried shallots. Easy to make variations. Sometimes we eat it as a side dish and sometimes as a main dish. Tonight I added 2 cups of leftover chili and maybe 3/4 cup of leftover corn. Added extra cheese on the top.

      Reply
    3. Marla Williams

      September 23, 2020 at 12:51 pm

      5 stars
      This looks delicious. Can it be made and frozen. If it can be frozen, then should I bake it first or just mix together to bake later?
      Thank you so much.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        September 23, 2020 at 1:18 pm

        Hi Maria,

        Welcome to the blog.

        You can freeze this either before or after cooking. It should do well frozen for 2-3 months either cooked or uncooked.

        If frozen before cooking, thaw completely before baking.

        Dan

    4. Dee

      April 28, 2020 at 11:42 am

      5 stars
      Tried this last night, I added extra bacon, and it was delicious. It tasted similar to mashed potatoes. Hubby loved it and so this will be on my recipe software. Thanks!

      Reply
    5. Susan Reed

      March 18, 2020 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      I loved how tasty, quick and simple this recipe is! Thank you!

      Reply
    6. Sylvia

      October 07, 2019 at 7:16 pm

      4 stars
      I just made it with frozen cauliflower, I didn’t squeeze out the water so it came out watery. The sour cream didn’t sit well with me so I might use Greek Yogurt and maybe cream cheese. I would definitely make this again with some tweaks to suit my taste. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    7. Leah

      September 19, 2019 at 10:17 pm

      I made it with fat free Greek yogurt replacing the sour cream and it came out well. I used an 8x8 Pyrex casserole dish and it needed to be baked at 375 for 40 min not 20 in order to brown. Totally crave-worthy!

      Reply
    8. Lisa

      November 19, 2018 at 7:53 pm

      This was great! Used a little less cheese though.

      Reply
    9. Kate

      August 23, 2018 at 7:00 pm

      These were so good! My husband hates cauliflower. I gave him a bite and he immediately went and grabbed a plate to get a serving! :)

      Reply
    10. Vicky

      June 26, 2018 at 7:43 pm

      Tried this tonight and it was great left out sour cream for less calories and was still delicious

      Reply
    11. jen

      November 27, 2016 at 7:20 pm

      What size pan did you use?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        November 27, 2016 at 7:29 pm

        I usually use a 7X10 (approx.) Corning dish but that is about equal to a 9 inch round cake pan. The size of the dish doesn't matter much.

    12. DrDan

      November 13, 2016 at 3:26 pm

      I have seen similar recipes with cream cheese but not my taste. A common substitute for sour cream is plain yogurt but I have not tried it here. If you try the yogurt, please post the results here. Inquiring minds want to know. I would give it a trial run soon and not depend on it working well for Thanksgiving without testing.

      Reply
    13. Michelle

      November 13, 2016 at 12:42 pm

      This sounds great, thinking of taking for Thanksgiving! Is there anything I could use instead of sour cream?

      Reply
    14. Jen

      October 26, 2016 at 10:17 pm

      This was awesome! I love funeral potatoes, but these were so similar. My husband isn't a big cauliflower fan and he loved them.

      Reply
    15. Mrs. Leeberg

      February 04, 2016 at 11:00 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is beyond delicious! It has become a staple side dish ever since we started eating low carb high fat. Sometimes I add a little bacon and/or Uncle Dan's ranch seasoning to it, just to change it up a bit. Thank you so much for sharing!

      Reply
    16. Jane

      July 04, 2015 at 2:36 pm

      5 stars
      I was wondering if you knew the calories, etc. for a serving. I made it and my family loved it.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        July 04, 2015 at 3:00 pm

        1090 per recipe which is 272 per serving assuming 4 servings but those are large servings This is low carb not low fat. You can decrease that by about 20% if you use lower fat sour cream and cheese.

        Thanks for the note and rating
        DrDan

    17. Karen Dwyer

      December 09, 2014 at 8:32 pm

      It's even more delicious with lots of bacon crumbled into it!

      Reply
    18. Meredith Brasca

      August 26, 2014 at 9:56 pm

      5 stars
      Very tasty! I was in a bit of a hurry, so I put in in the microwave for 5 minutes, stirred it, and then into the oven for 5 to brown the top. My dad - who does not like cauliflower, liked this. He likes a bit of crunch so I sprinkled some panko crumbs on top and hit broil for 1 more minute. Came out great.

      Reply
      • jen

        October 26, 2016 at 8:10 pm

        Love the panko crust idea! I'm trying this tonight

    19. Chelsea

      March 25, 2014 at 12:28 pm

      Do you think this could be made in a crock pot? If so, any suggestions on cooking times/temps?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 26, 2014 at 12:04 pm

        Most things "can" be cooking in a crock pot. Since nothing is raw except the onion (which doesn't matter much) it is safe. So you just need to get it hot enough to melt and combine ingredients. I will just guess 1 hour on high and then check it since it may take 2 hours. If you try it please post your results. We like the browned top so I won't be doing it.
        DrDan

    20. carolyn

      January 19, 2014 at 2:40 am

      yummm can't wait to try so easy. Thanks. I love CC

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    DrDan image Hi, I’m DrDan, and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two, the home of great everyday recipes with easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions. About DrDan

    Join the club
    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Holiday Recipes

    • turkey slice with gravy on orange plate.
      Roasted Turkey Breast—The Easy Way
    • Cut ham with pineapple honey glaze on a white plate
      Small Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar Honey Glaze
    • slice of Ribeye Roast on a white plate
      Small Ribeye Roast
    • sausage dressing on a plate
      Mom's Sausage Stuffing
    • Green bean casserole on a plate
      Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup
    • Sweet potato casserole on a white plate
      Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole

    Holiday Candy Recipes

    • Chocolate Peanut Clusters on a red plate
      Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
    • pile of oreo fudge
      Oreo Fudge
    • pieces of fudge with nuts on a red plate
      Crock Pot Fudge
    • finished candied nuts on the cooking tray with white parechment paper
      Candied Almonds or Other Candied Nuts
    • Candied Bacon on a plate
      Spicy Candied Bacon
    • pile of fudge on a white plate
      Easy 5-Minute Chocolate Fudge
    graphic of sites that I work with or have had recipes featured or referenced.
    SITES THAT I WORK WITH OR HAVE HAD RECIPES FEATURED OR REFERENCED.

    Footer

    BACK TO TOP
    OF PAGE
    Join the club
    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    About

    • About DrDan and the Blog
    • Comment Policy
    • Guest Posts, Partnering, and Business Questions

    Content

    • Food FAQ
    • Kitchen Reference Sheets
    • Recipes Featured in the Videos
    • Guide To Cooking for Two
    • Saved Recipes Collections

    dogs by the pond

    ↑ back to top ↑a

    Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Contact

    COPYRIGHT © 2010-2023 101 COOKING FOR TWO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | BASED ON FOODIE PRO THEME

    • Email
    • Pinterest