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    🏠Home » Recipes » Low Carb/Keto Recipes

    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

    Feb 25, 2010 | Last Updated Apr 10, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.37 from 57 votes

    Cheesy cauliflower casserole is perfect for low-carb and keto diets. Or just a great veggie dish. Make this today with these easy step-by-step photo instructions.

    cheesy cauliflower casserole on white plate

    Table of Contents
    • The Cauliflower
    • 📖Low Carb Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    An easy lower-carb healthier version of "Cheesy Potatoes" using cauliflower. So now you can have "Crack Cauliflower Casserole." This really is a great side dish if you are doing any lower-carb diet for any reason.

    This is one of those recipes I have done so many times that I never measure anything. But to write it down, I did measure tonight. It was the best one in a long time. Maybe I don't measure well just by sight.

    In our old high carb days, we made "cheesy potatoes."  This is the low-carb version of that. It's fast and easy. It also is made with things we usually have on hand.

    My Rating

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    Always excellent and tasty. Makes 4 servings and great for leftovers.

    The Cauliflower

    I have done this recipe for years. I usually buy frozen cauliflower in 1 pound bags and cook in the microwave per package instructions.

    However, it is now hard to find one-pound bags. They are mostly 12 oz. So you may use that and decrease the other ingredients.

    Can I use fresh cauliflower?

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

    Make it "Crack Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole"

    Bacon is a great addition to this but not really necessary. Just cook 2-3 slices of bacon, crumble, and add to the casserole during mixing.

    📖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
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    cauliflower with onions cheese and sour cream

    Use frozen cauliflower. See discussion for using fresh cauliflower.

    putting cauliflower into microwave

    Cook the entire bag of cauliflower in the microwave. I use a covered dish with about a tablespoon of water on the "frozen vegetable" setting. Or follow instructions on the package. You can use fresh cauliflower. One medium head should yield about one pound and cook in a microwave in 4-5 minutes with a bit of water.

    slicing green onion on wooden board

    Slice 3 green onions.

    mashiing cauliflower with potato masher

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

    moving casserole filling to baking dish

    Mix well and move to a baking pan. I usually use a 7 X 10 Corning Ware dish. It may be refrigerated or cooked now.  Cook in preheated oven 375° convection until the top is browned. About 20 minutes. (you may adjust the temp depending on your needs for timing or cooking with other foods)

    baked cauliflower casserole in dish

    Try to let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Heat leftovers in the oven. Much better than microwaved.

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    📖Recipe

    cheesy cauliflower casserole on white plate

    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Cheesy cauliflower casserole is perfect for low-carb and keto diets. Or just a great veggie dish. Make this today with these easy step by step photo instructions.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.37 from 57 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 cheddar cheese
    • 3 green onions - sliced thin
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper - coarse ground
    • 3 slices bacon - optional. Cooked and crumbled.

    Instructions

    • Cook the entire bag of cauliflower in the microwave. I use a covered dish with about a tablespoon of water on the "frozen vegetable" setting. Or follow instructions on the package. You can use fresh cauliflower. One medium head should yield about one pound and cook in a microwave in 4-5 minutes with a bit of water.
      putting cauliflower into microwave
    • Slice 3 green onions.
      slicing green onion on wooden board
    • Move cauliflower to the mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher. You could also use a mixer or food processor, but you are NOT trying to cream this. Add cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions, salt, and pepper. Add bacon if using.
      mashiing cauliflower with potato masher
    • Mix well and move to a baking pan. Maybe refrigerated or cooked now.
      moving casserole filling to baking dish
    • Cook in preheated oven 375° convection until the top is browned. About 20 minutes until nicely browned. (you may adjust the temp depending on your needs for timing or cooking with other foods)
    • Try to let set for 5 minutes before serving.
      cheesy cauliflower casserole on white plate
    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.

    My Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. You may use frozen or fresh cauliflower. Cook per instructions.
    2. Make it "crack" by adding 3 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon.
    3. Reheats well in a microwave.
    4. Pan size. I usually use a 7 X 10 Corning Ware dish. An 8 X 8 would be good or anything in about that size range.
    5. 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 g | Monounsaturated Fat : 3 g | Cholesterol : 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.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. 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

    2. 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
    3. Susan Reed

      March 18, 2020 at 8:55 pm

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

      Reply
    4. 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
    5. 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
    6. Lisa

      November 19, 2018 at 7:53 pm

      This was great! Used a little less cheese though.

      Reply
    7. 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
    8. 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
    9. 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.

    10. 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
    11. 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
    12. 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
    13. 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
    14. 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

    15. Karen Dwyer

      December 09, 2014 at 8:32 pm

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

      Reply
    16. 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

    17. 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

    18. carolyn

      January 19, 2014 at 2:40 am

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

      Reply
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