Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
Loaded Cauliflower Casserole has all of the flavors of your favorite loaded baked potato casserole without all of the carbs. Made with fresh cauliflower florets, sharp cheddar cheese, crispy bacon and green onions, this baked cheesy cauliflower recipe is the perfect keto low-carb side dish.
LOADED CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE
Low-carb side dishes are all the craze right now and deservedly so.
In the effort to cut out the carbs that we all love so much, searching the internet and Pinterest for low-carb and keto friendly casserole dishes have become my daily mission.
There are so many different ways to cut the carbs in our favorite dishes that it can be a bit overwhelming when it comes down to picking the right low-carb side dish recipe.
After a lot of trial and error (we will talk about those errors some other time!), this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole is my favorite of the keto side dishes I have thrown together so far.
BAKED CHEESY CAULIFLOWER
This Loaded Cauliflower Casserole was originally posted on this website by me the very first week I started this food blog.
In my quest to bring more low-carb recipes and keto dishes into my daily living, I decided to re-make this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole recipe with new pictures and a new blog post.
Let me tell you…. the five day old food blogger post was really a sight to behold and if nothing else, made me feel a bit better about how this food blog has progressed.
That being said, the recipe is the same because this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole is honestly, the BOMB-DIG-ITY!!
For your amusement, the original ‘I’m a five day old food blogger’ photo below… try to contain your uncontrollable laughter at my expense 🙂
HOW TO STEAM VEGETABLES WITHOUT A STEAMER
Some recipes will call for you to boil or blanch your vegetables but I prefer to steam my veggies whenever possible.
I feel steaming vegetables holds in the nutrients better and I love how bright the colors of my veggies are when they are done steaming.
To steam your veggies, simply add 1 or 2 inches of water to a large pot and add your strainer to fit on top of your cooking pot.
Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of your strainer. Bring you water to a boil, add your veggies to your strainer and cover with a cooking lid tight enough to hold in the steam.
It doesn’t need to be perfect, my lid usually sits right on top of my vegetables and not the top of my pot.
MODIFICATIONS, IF YOU PLEASE..
- This Loaded Cauliflower Casserole would be extra amazing by adding in some shredded chicken or leftover ham.
- Add in some broccoli for a cheesy broccoli and cauliflower casserole
- You can use frozen cauliflower to make this low-carb side dish. Simply thaw your frozen cauliflower first before adding it into the recipe.
- Don’t have time to make bacon? I often times use the pre-cooked bacon pieces found in the salad dressing aisle of my grocery store. I rarely have time to make real bacon either 🙂
HOW TO MAKE CHEESY CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE?
Easy! To make this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole, start by pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees and buttering a 9×13 baking dish and setting it aside.
To cook your bacon, spray a baking sheet with non stick spray and lay your bacon out flat on the pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy before removing the bacon to a paper towel lined plate while you prepare the remainder of your recipe.
Next, add your cauliflower florets to a large strainer over a pot filled with 1-2 inches of water, bring to a boil and then cover, steaming broccoli for 2-3 minutes.
When done, remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, spices, most of the bacon and green onions along with the cauliflower and half of the cheddar cheese.
Mix well and then transfer your cauliflower mixture to the buttered casserole dish.
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, bacon and green onions and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
KETO CAULIFLOWER BAKE
This cheesy cauliflower mash makes a fabulous keto side dish so you if you need low carb sides to serve up, this recipe meets your needs regardless of who is coming for dinner.
Not following a low-carb lifestyle? No worries.. you are going to love this low carb side dish and you won’t even miss your beloved carbs.
I know, I didn’t! Still not convinced? That’s ok and if you still have those crying over a loaded cheesy casserole and no potatoes, don’t fret.
You can easily make this cheesy cauliflower casserole for both sides of the fence.
Simply make two separate casseroles using the same toppings but make one using the cauliflower florets and the other one using cooked potatoes.
MORE LOW CARB RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
Looking for more low-carb side dishes and keto friendly sides? Check out a few of my favorites below!
Disclaimer: If you are on a KETO or Low Carb diet, always make sure to double check your own information with the Carb Manager app or My Fitness Pal based on the brands and weights you use. I am not responsible for the calculations but do try to provide as much information as possible for readers to make informed decisions.
Enjoy!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I would love for you to leave a rating and a comment below! Let me know, how’d you do?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh cauliflower florets .. approximately 2-3 heads
- 6 strips crispy cooked bacon .. chopped
- 4 green onions .. diced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups block sharp shredded cheese .. shredded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To make this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole, start by pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees and buttering a 9x13 baking dish and setting it aside.
- To cook your bacon, spray a baking sheet with non stick spray and lay your bacon out flat on the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy before removing the bacon to a paper towel lined plate while you prepare the remainder of your recipe.
- Next, add your cauliflower florets to a large strainer over a pot filled with 1-2 inches of water, bring to a boil and then cover, steaming broccoli for 2-3 minutes. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, spices, most of the bacon and green onions along with the cauliflower and half of the cheddar cheese. Mix well and then transfer your cauliflower mixture to the buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, bacon and green onions and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in May of 2019 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in November of 2023.
Omg…I don’t dislike califlower,but I have other fav’s…but this casserole is absolutely scrumptious. .my new very favorite recipe
Could your add other veggies to this recipe? Like broccoli or would you just stick to cauliflower?
If I make it with frozen riced cauliflower, how much should I use?
Converting cups to oz’s comes out to 48 oz so you would need a 40 oz bag and 10 or 12 oz bag depending on what you supermarket sells. I used green giant for this. Hope this helps Di.
I add cubed ham and it is a main course.. Very flavorful. The bacon adds a lot. I use the pre-cooked heated in the microwave . Save a ton of time and mess.
Hi Barbara .. excellent addition!! I am a super fan of those pre-cooked bacon pouches and use them all the time too 🙂
We can’t wait to have this tomorrow with dinner!! Easy to put together and just covered and put in fridge to bake it with roasted chicken tomorrow… ????
Thanks Kaisai, Let me know how it turns out. I hope you enjoy it. I am also glad you found it super easy to make.
Fantastic recipe to enjoy delicious casserole and completely guilt-free! I am really looking forward to trying it out over the week! And hopefully I can replace my go-to potato casserole recipe with it!
Oh yes.. this looks delicious and it’s super easy to make + it’s so healthy, loaded with veggies. Perfect family dinner! I must make this asap.
This looks even better than a loaded baked potato casserole! I can’t wait for my arden to start producing loads of cauliflower for dishes like this!
This looks even better than a loaded baked potato casserole! I can’t wait for my arden to start producing loads of cauliflower!
I love making traditional carb-loaded dishes into a healthier alternative. I want to make this for our summer potluck parties coming up and it’s perfect because it won’t leave a heavy feeling after eating it.
This is totally my kind of comfort food! I love cheesy, salty, delicious foods — but we try to limit our carb count (or at least save the carbs for dessert!). Substituting cauliflower instead of potatoes is one of our favorite swaps, too — this will definitely be a crowd pleaser over here.
Ahhh I’m so going to make this tomorrow! I have one big cauliflower lying the fridge and this recipe would be just perfect to use up the cauliflower.
This sounds and looks delicious! So easy and comforting! Pinning for later!
ooh I just put cauliflower on the grocery list in order to make this dish this week! I might try your modification of adding chicken to make it a complete one dish meal for dinner! Can’t wait!
This cauliflower casserole looks amazing! I love that it’s loaded with cheese and bacon too.
This was such a comforting dish, we absolutely loved it – the whole family! We want to make it again and again! I love that I can sneak veggies into my kids, by way of bacon 😉
Loaded Cauliflower Casserole is the perfect guilt-free alternative to our mashed potato casserole! Just in time for summer BBQ’s, and still with all the yummy! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I have nothing against carbs (I’m Italian, I feel like carba are my heritage lol) but I understand that cutting back a little might be beeficial. I’m still not up for giving up pasta, but I can see how cauliflower instead of potatoes could do a very nice job in this casserole! Definitely going to try this!