| | |

(Low Carb) Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

(Low Carb) Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe is the comfort food side dish that your whole family will love! Just a few ingredients and this delicious recipe is ready for the oven!

(Low Carb) Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

Loaded Cauliflower Bake is such a great way to enjoy fresh cauliflower, with lots of cheesy goodness.

You will love this recipe if you’re a fan of a loaded baked potato, but want a low-carb version.

Another reason why you’ll love this recipe so much is it’s SUPER easy to make! It’s seven ingredients, and you’re on your way to a delicious side dish recipe the entire family will love! Maybe even your picky eaters!?

It’s become one of my favorite recipes to make, because it pairs with any protein, or you can just eat it on its own! It’s perfect with a rotisserie chicken for those busy weeknights you don’t have time to make both.

This also pairs well with Meal Prep Ranch Grilled Chicken, Red Wine, and Herb Marinated Steak, or 2-Ingredient Pork Chops

This post contains affiliate links.

How to Make Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

keto loaded cauliflower casserole

​First, let’s gather the ingredients we’ll need for this recipe.

Cauliflower — You can use cauliflower florets, the whole head of cauliflower, riced cauliflower, frozen cauliflower… ((Anyone starting to feel like Bubba and shrimp?!))

However you want your cauliflower, you’ll need it steamed so it’s soft and ready to bake. I just steam two bags of frozen cauliflower on the stovetop. The steamed cauliflower makes the most perfect side dish. If you’re using cauliflower rice, this will act more like a grits casserole! Yum. 

​Side Note: I haven’t tried this recipe with mashed cauliflower, I bet it would be wonderful!! 

Cheddar Cheese — You’ll need lots of shredded cheese for this keto diet-friendly loaded cauliflower casserole recipe. I shredded my cheese using this countertop grater, and it’s THE best way to shred cheese!! So easy! I prefer sharp cheddar cheese, but use what you have! And if you have bags of pre-shredded cheese with a little leftover, use them up. This is a great casserole to use up any remaining cheese you have on hand. 

loaded cauliflower casserole recipe

Ranch Powder — if you’re not a fan of ranch feel free to leave this out! But, it’s an easy way to pack in flavor without opening a lot of seasoning jars!

House Seasoning — another cheeky way I give lots of flavor to a dish is to use my homemade spice blend. It’s equal parts kosher salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add in as much black pepper as you like, then shake it up! Keep it in a jar in your spice cabinet, or better yet, by your stovetop. You won’t believe how much time this saves you!

Bacon — I used the pre-cooked Bacon Bits from Great Value because I’m fancy. It was so easy to toss in this little bag of chopped-up crispy bacon!!

Sour Cream — It’s not a cheesy loaded cauliflower casserole without it! Plus, it binds everything together to create a creamy cheese sauce, right in the casserole dish.

Green Onions — I love fresh sliced green onions. It adds a bright fresh extra flavor to a keto cauliflower casserole recipe. And! It’s one of the main flavors of a loaded baked potato, so you can’t leave it out! Unless you just *really* want to.

Baking this Cauliflower Dish

keto cauliflower bake

This is one of those more than easy, perfect keto recipe ideas. 

When you have all of your ingredients ready to go, this keto cauliflower bake comes together in less than 30 minutes. 

For this tasty casserole, here’s the game plan for ingredient prep:

First, get your cauliflower steaming. Either in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Shred your cheese onto a plate, or paper towel.

Next, you’ll add most of the cheese to a large bowl. Reserve as much cheese as you want for the top of the keto-loaded cauliflower casserole.

On top of the shredded cheese in the bowl, add in your ranch powder, house seasoning, and half of the bacon bits bag. (If you’re using fresh bacon, use 4 slices.)

Give these ingredients a good mix before adding in the sour cream.

After you’ve plopped in your sour cream, snip in your green onions using some clean kitchen scissors. Then stir all of that together!

extra cheesy cauliflower casserole recipe

In the large mixing bowl, dump your steamed cauliflower. I like to give it a little drain in a colander, to be sure I don’t add any extra water to their keto casserole recipe. 

Pour it into a greased baking dish and bake at 350˚ for 15-20 minutes. Since the cauliflower is hot going into your mixing bowl, it’s just melting the cheese and cooking everything through in the preheated oven. 

If you want that *extra* golden brown crunchy, cheesy top of your casserole, broil the top on high for a couple of minutes, keeping a close eye!

​Any leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. In the recipe card, I tell you how to reheat this recipe.

low carb easy cheesy cauliflower casserole recipe

What is Keto?

“Keto is a low-carb diet, high fat, moderate protein lifestyle

The ketogenic diet, or keto, refers to a way of eating that can be described as low-carb, high-fat, and moderate protein.

Most people on keto eat less than 20g net carbs each day and get more than 75% of their nutrients from fat (more on this below). 

The goal of keto is ketosis

One of the goals of the ketogenic diet is getting into what is called ketosis.

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body is burning fat for fuel instead of burning carbs and sugar. ” – an excerpt from Dr. Davinahs Eats

You can read more about it from my friend, Dr. Davinah, she has an amazing keto recipes blog, where you will drool over every recipe and learn so much!

Keto or Low Carb Recipes you should try…

​Main Dish Recipes to Serve with this Low Carb Side Dish

This is one of those low carb recipes that goes with just about anything and everything!

tomahawk steak recipe

Serving with a BIG grilled Tomahawk Steak is an easy way to feed a crowd with minimal effort. Make the casserole the night before, and bake while your steak grills. Pair with a Wedge Salad for a Crowd, and you’re party is sure to be a giant success!

oven roasted pulled pork recipe

To make this cauliflower mac-style recipe go further, double it, and serve it with Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork.

To keep on your low carb diet, you’ll love serving this recipe in all kinds of different ways. With such simple ingredients, you can definitely see the value in making it!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does cauliflower go watery in the oven?

Cauliflower is full of water! While it’s rich in fiber and considered a cruciferous vegetable it can hold a lot of water. That water is released when it’s cooked. If it’s overcooked, even more water comes out. With a simple cauliflower casserole like this, you want that extra soft cauliflower. So, steam the vegetable, then drain it well before adding to your ingredients!

Can I add cream cheese to my cauliflower casserole?

You can if you’d like a super-rich cheese sauce! 

Save this to your favorite Low Carb or Keto Pinterest Board!

(Low Carb) Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

(Low Carb) Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

  • Author: Sweetpea
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: side dish
  • Method: oven-baked
  • Cuisine: low carb

Description

(Low Carb) Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe


Ingredients

Scale
  • 24 ounces Frozen Cauliflower, steamed
  • 2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 2/3 cup reserved for topping
  • 1 TBS Ranch Powder
  • 1 tsp House Seasoning (see notes)
  • 1.25 ounces Bacon Bits (half of a 2.5-ounce bag from Walmart!)
  • 16 ounces Sour Cream
  • 2 Green Onions, sliced


Instructions

  1. Steam your cauliflower until cooked through and soft. Use the package’s directions. Drain in a colander.
  2. In a large bowl, add in your 1 1/3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 tablespoon of ranch powder, 1 teaspoon of house seasoning, and 1.25 ounces of bacon bits.
  3. Stir this around the disperse the seasonings and bacon throughout the cheese.
  4. Plop in your 16 ounces of sour cream and mix again.
  5. When your cauliflower is drained, and ready, dump it into the cheesy sour cream mixture and stir.
  6. Snip in your 2 green onions, and a hefty grind of black pepper if you like it!
  7. Pour this cheesy cauliflower mixture into a greased baking dish, and top with the remaining 2/3 cup of cheddar cheese.
  8. Bake at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown perfection.
  9. Remove from the oven, and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before digging in!

Notes

HOUSE SEASONING:

  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup onion powder
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/8 cup black pepper

Mix all of these ingredients together, and store them in an airtight jar or container.

You can make this recipe the night before! To heat from the fridge, place the baking dish in a COLD oven, and turn your oven to 350˚. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown on top!

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

Similar Posts

2 Comments

  1. I don’t think you have the right measurement for the house Seasoning mix…(1/4 cup).

    1. Yes, that is the correct measurements. The point is to make a big jar, and use it often. It’s a time saving spice blend recipe!

Comments are closed.