Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
Cheesy and packed with yummy bacon, Loaded Cauliflower Casserole is so delicious it won’t even seem like a low-carb dish!
Growing up I wouldn’t touch cauliflower if my life depended on it. Now as an adult, I’m finding myself making it ALL the time! Whether it’s in a cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower rice, or this amazing cauliflower casserole recipe.
Cauliflower is a real MVP when it comes to cutting back on carbs and serving as a substitute in your favorite recipes. This loaded cauliflower bake is keto-friendly but packed with flavor – a true family favorite recipe.
LOADED CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE
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I am a HUGE potato fan. If I could get away with serving potatoes in some form as a side dish every single night, I probably would. However, it’s simply not a smart choice – mentally or physically.
So, I often find myself searching for “cheat” recipes that incorporate healthier choices into my favorite potato-based dishes. You know like swapping spaghetti squash instead of pasta or zucchini “zoodle” noodles. All those sneaky ways to cut back on carbs but not sacrifice flavor.
A while back I was having a dinner party with a few girlfriends and we had an amazing loaded baked potato bar. I’m talking ALL the fixings – bacon, crispy fried onions, sour cream – you name it, we had it. It was so delicious and so much fun. But man, oh, man, it was carbo-loading at it’s finest.
I was recently thinking back to that night and got a very real craving for a loaded baked potato. But, as we’re heading into the food-heavy holidays, I’m trying to cut back on my carb intake. So, instead of baked potatoes, I decided to make this tasty loaded cauliflower casserole to go with my family’s dinner.
I kid you not, my boys (husband included) were licking the casserole dish clean. They could not get enough of the stuff. This keto cauliflower casserole was one of the biggest hits of the year in our house.
Is it the healthiest thing I’ve ever made? No. It still has copious amounts of cheese and delicious bacon. But, thanks to skipping those potatoes, cauliflower casserole is low on carbs and HIGH on flavor!
Whether you’re looking to cut back on some carbs in preparation for the upcoming holidays, or you’re just looking for a way to use up some extra cauliflower you have lying around, try out this loaded cauliflower bake. You won’t be disappointed!
Cauliflower Casserole Ingredients
- Cauliflower florets – you can use pre-cut or get whole heads of cauliflower and breakfast them down yourself
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Cream cheese
- Heavy cream
- Green onions
- Bacon
- Garlic
- Salt & pepper
Like I said before, I did not claim that this was a HEALTHY dish. That’s hard to do that when the recipe involves lots of gooey, melted cheese, cream cheese, bacon, and heavy cream, right? But, cauliflower is such a powerhouse veggie that it cancels all of that out in my mind! By munching on loaded cauliflower you’re stocking up on so many nutrients like fiber, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.
How Do You Make Cauliflower Casserole
You’ll want to give yourself about 35-40 minutes from prep work to finished product for this delicious cauliflower casserole. Not too shabby for a dish that my kids actually beg for!
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- While the oven is preheating, steam the cauliflower florets until fork-tender (about 5 minutes). I recommend using a steaming basket (my favorite is linked below!) in a small saucepan. You can also steam your cauliflower in the microwave.
- While the cauliflower steams, cream together 6 oz of the shredded cheddar, 6 oz of the Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and heavy cream with a stand mixer or hand mixer in a large bowl.
- Next, stir in the sliced green onions, chopped bacon, and garlic to your shredded cheese mixture. Set this amazingness aside (no one will judge you if you take a taste test at this point….).
- Now, back to the cauliflower – drain any liquid from the steamed cauliflower and add it to your cheese mixture.
- Time to mix! Stir the cauliflower and cheese mixture together, making sure to get all that cauliflower coated in delicious bacon and cheese.
- Now, grab yourself a fork and taste-test for seasoning. Add seasoning as necessary. I typically find that the bacon and cheese give plenty of saltiness, but to each his or her own!
- At this point in the prep, you have a decision to make. If you like a chunkier casserole, let it be! If you want a finer texture, give your cauliflower mixture a few mashes with a potato masher.
- Next, pour it all into a 2 to 3-quart casserole baking dish and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Don’t worry about making it a super thick layer of cheese – it’ll all melt together. Plus, there’s already tons of cheese inside the casserole!
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake until cheese is brown and bubbly. (And making your mouth water so much that you can’t bear to let it cook any longer!) It will take about 30 minutes total to bake.
- Last, but certainly not least, enjoy!
What to Serve with Cauliflower Casserole?
I love this dish so much that I could totally eat it as a main dish all on its own. However, it works perfectly as a side dish, too!
Whenever I serve it, I think of the main dishes that I would typically serve mashed or baked potatoes with.
Instead of the carb-loaded potatoes, I make a loaded cauliflower casserole and we’re good to go! Here are a few of my favorite meals to pair cauliflower casserole with:
- Crock Pot Pork Chops – comfort food to the MAX. These pork chops are tender and delicious!
- Salisbury Steak – quick and easy, and a family favorite recipe.
- Classic Meatloaf – one of those “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” kind of recipes. Simple, classic, and pairs perfectly with a cheesy cauliflower casserole!
Can I Freeze Cauliflower Casserole?
My boys will rarely leave leftovers of loaded cauliflower casserole. They love it so much! BUT, if you do find yourself with extras, go ahead and freeze it!
I’ve also made double batches before simply so I could have some to freeze to pull out in a pinch. Here are a few tips and tricks for freezing:
- Make sure your casserole is completely cooled before freezing. Put it into a freezer-safe bag and seal tightly (push out any extra air).
- You can re-heat the cauliflower casserole straight from frozen in the microwave. Or you can let it thaw and pop it in the oven. Then the casserole 20-25 minutes to crisp it back up to its original cheesy splendor!
Looking for some more delicious side dish inspiration?
- Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower
- Simple Broccoli Casserole
- BBQ Cauliflower Bites
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Yellow Squash Casserole
- more SIDE DISH recipes…
Tools used to make this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole recipe
Steaming basket: this handy dandy device makes steaming veggies SO easy!
Hand mixer: I don’t always feel like breaking out my stand mixer, so this works wonderfully!
Casserole Dish: This simple and elegant serving dish goes from oven to table! It’s a staple at our dinner table and I know it will be at your table too!
*This post originally posted on 11/11/2013.
Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cauliflower florets
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded, divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups green onions sliced (2 bunches)
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 clove garlic grated
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Steam cauliflower florets in a large pot filled with 1-inch of water until tender, about 5 minutes.
- While cauliflower steams, cream together 3/4 of the cheddar cheese, 3/4 of the Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and heavy cream. Stir in sliced green onions, chopped bacon, and garlic. Set aside.
- Drain any liquid from steamed cauliflower and add the cauliflower to the cheese mixture. Stir cauliflower and cheese mixture together until completely combined.
- Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as necessary.
- Pour cauliflower into a 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle on remaining cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.
- Cover dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is brown and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
What is the serving size????
Depends on if you plan on using it as a side dish (typically 1/2 to 3/4 cup) or entree (1 to 1 1/2 cups). The nutrition facts are generally based on a 1 cup serving.
This looks awesome! I don’t like cream cheese so I think I’ll substitute sour cream. I’ll let you all know how it turns out 🙂
Perfect substitution! Yes, please keep us in the loop. Thank you.
My question is, why wouldn’t you take the mixer to it again after you put the cauliflower in? Isn’t that the idea, to make it like mashed potatoes? Just curious why you would leave it in big pieces and not blend it in…
Because it’s a casserole not a mash it’s nice to have more texture. If you prefer more of the “mashed” texture you are welcome to take that extra step. That’s what makes these recipes so great, we offer the tried and true option but you are always welcome to make it your own!
I love this recipe, I added 1 and 1/2 lbs of shredded chicken and red pepper flakes .. so yummy
Oh I love a little spice, great idea!
Has anyone tried making this recipe without steaming the Cauliflower first? Cauliflower cooks quickly and I would think that after steaming it until soft, then baking it for 30 min it would be mushy?
If someone takes the time and energy to share a recipe its disrespectful to complain. No one said this was low calorie. If you made it and didnt like it then dont make it again. Its not neccessary to constantly be negative. There are millions of recipes available. Say thank you and find one that fits your tastes or caloric needs. Thank you for this recipe it looks delish! I look forward to trying it!
Thank you.
This has too much sodium. How do you eliminate the salt
You could certainly use less cheese and substitute the regular bacon for turkey bacon.
very good work …
yummy recipes
I made this for supper tonight along with a lemon garlic chicken breast. My husband and I loved it. He loved it so much that he suggested that I make it for the upcoming family reunion.
Nice!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Is the nutrition facts for the entire dish or a single serving. It doesn’t specify.
It’s done by per serving. This is pretty much a dish all in it’s own, you could certainly add some baked or shredded chicken to offer a little more protein and round it out to a little more of a complete meal if you’d like.
Look good will try
Im making this right now! i hope its as good as it smells!
I know it will be!
How much is a serving??? And not sure why I need to leave my email to comment?
Typically about a 1/2 cup. Leaving us an email ensures you will receive a response as well as helping to eliminate bot generated comments. Thanks for taking the time to share with us!
What does cream together mean ?
Mix all the cheeses together until they are nice and creamy, usually done best with an electric mixer but you can certainly just use a mixing spoon as well. The cream cheese will help this process along. Keep in mind you will still be a little bit chunky.
Used Pepper Jack cheese for a little kick. Everyone loved it.
Ooh great idea!
I’d like to add chicken. Would you recommend I definitely cook it first or do you think I could I get away with putting it in raw and baking it longer? Thanks!
My suggestion would be to at least sear the chicken first, that can either be done in a skillet or an electric grill. This will put a nice flavor on the chicken as well as making it look a bit more appetizing.
The chicken needs to be fully cooked before baking the casserole…..that short cooking time will not cook the chicken…..making it now…..in the oven…..can’t wait
This is great recipe i also used thicker bacon and more of it. You also need to season as desired. My family loved it so did my son in law who is a new diabetic and on low carb. When i make it i always have to make 2 so he can have one.
More bacon more better right! 🙂
I made this casserole yesterday for Christmas Eve. Since I read the comments and I was also a little worried about the calories, I made some simple changes to it and I’m sure it did not compromise the results. I had two small cauliflower heads and I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese. I used regular cheddar and monterrey jack (which were what I had on hands), but I cut half of the cheeses and I used 4 slices of bacon, cooked in the microwave and frozen, so it would crumble. It was a good holiday dish, rich and cheesy enough but probably with less calories… just my two cents
So glad you could customize it!
This was absolutely delicious. I made it for our Christmas Dinner (on Christmas Eve) and everyone loved it. Definitely a “keeper” recipe, and one I plan to make from now on for Christmas.
I love new traditions like those!
The calories are WAY OFF. if this serves 8, calories are only 425 aservig. This should be updated, as I’m sure it will turn a lot of people off the way it is right now.
Good call Kaily! We’ve changed to a more accurate nutritional info system (instead of using someone’s calculations) and this has been updated. Thank you for the reminder!