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    🏠Home » Recipes » Side Dish Recipes

    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

    Feb 25, 2010 · Modified: Jan 25, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 25 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.37 from 65 votes

    Everybody will love this baked cheesy cauliflower casserole recipe. A delicious vegetable side dish for any meal that is easy to make and ready in 30 minutes. And it is 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

    😊Why you will love this recipe

    • Tender mashed cauliflower in a flavorful cheesy casserole using all-natural products.
    • 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.
    • Add the optional bacon to make it a "loaded cauliflower casserole."
    • 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 Old Fashion Cheesy Potato Casserole 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 recipe is perfect for frozen cauliflower florets. 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

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

    Casserole Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Low Carb/Keto Recipes, Side Dish Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️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.

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    📝Recipe

    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Everybody will love this baked cheesy cauliflower casserole recipe. A delicious vegetable side dish for any meal that is easy to make and ready in 30 minutes. And it is perfect for gluten-free, low-carb, and keto diets.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.37 from 65 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 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.
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    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.
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

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    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

    Nutrition Facts
    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 263 Calories from Fat 180
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20g31%
    Saturated Fat 13g65%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3g
    Cholesterol 69mg23%
    Sodium 476mg20%
    Potassium 269mg8%
    Carbohydrates 8g3%
    Fiber 3g12%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 750IU15%
    Vitamin C 78.4mg95%
    Calcium 270mg27%
    Iron 0.9mg5%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    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.

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    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
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