Cauliflower Casserole

This Southern-style Cauliflower Casserole is pure comfort in a dish. It’s creamy, cheesy, and baked until golden brown and bubbly. It’s a hearty side that transforms simple cauliflower into something irresistibly rich and satisfying. Perfect for family dinners, holiday gatherings, or any night you want a cozy, crowd-pleasing addition to the table.

Easy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

I can always count on a casserole to stretch my grocery budget and fill everyone up in one fell swoop. Casseroles typically reheat well, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to flavor combinations. That’s a recipe for success for any home cook.

Fresh cauliflower often gets overlooked when it comes to delicious side dishes, but this Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole will change that. It’s made with tender cauliflower and a rich, no-cook creamy sauce, transforming it into a comfort food favorite that even picky eaters will love. Think classic macaroni and cheese, but low-carb, and just as satisfying. It’s a tasty way to get veggies into the kiddos!

Checkout this quick list of ingredients you’ll need to have on hand to make cheesy Cauliflower Gratin.(Scroll down for the full printable recipe card.)

Cauliflower – One large head of cauliflower separated into florets.
Bacon – Crispy bacon gives the casserole a smoky flavor. Go for the gold and use real bacon not bacon bits.
Cheese – Freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese for a melty cheesy sauce.
Cream Cheese – Chive and onion cream cheese adds flavor and stabilizes the easy sauce.
Liquid – Heavy cream gives the sauce a silky texture and buttery flavor.
Mayo and Sour Cream – Mayonnaise adds a creaminess and tangy sour cream balances the rich flavor.
Spices – Seasoned salt, black pepper, granulated garlic or garlic powder and onion powder.
Onion – One bunch of green onions add a mild onion flavor.
Topping – French fried onions for crunch.

ingredients-to-make-cauliflower-casserole

How to Make the BEST Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

Heat Oven and Prepare Sheet Pan – Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray a large rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray.
Prep the Cauliflower – Chop and divide cauliflower florets into bite size pieces. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Roast in the oven just until fork tender. (Alternately, steam the cauliflower florets, don’t boil).
Fry Bacon – While the cauliflower bakes, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove to doubled paper towels to drain grease, then chop.
Make the Sauce – Use a whisk to combine the cream cheese, heavy cream, mayonnaise and sour cream with the seasoned salt, black pepper, granulated garlic and garlic powder.
Combine – To the cream cheese mixture add the cauliflower, bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions. Stir to fully combine.
Lower the oven temperature to 375°F. Spray a 13×9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
Transfer Mixture to Dish – Pour the cauliflower mixture into the prepared dish, top with remaining cheese and top with french fried onions.
Oven – Bake in the preheated oven per the cooking time in the recipe until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.
Let stand 5 minutes, then serve.

Kitchen Equipment to Make Loaded Cauliflower Casserole Recipes

Large sheet pan.
13×9-inch baking dish.
Measuring cups and spoons.
Large skillet for frying the bacon.
Cheese grater for freshly grated cheese.
Knife and cutting board.

Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions

Cauliflower – I typically use fresh cauliflower for this dish due to the moisture content in frozen cauliflower. Should you choose to adapt using frozen, you’ll need around 8-10 cups, after streaming. Pat dry with paper towels to try and remove as much moisture as possible.
Boiling Cauliflower – For this recipe, we don’t want to add moisture as you would when you boil the cauliflower. If you prefer to steam, that works, but roasting is my top pick.
Topping Options – For the topping, I used french fried onions, but you could use crushed croutons, dried breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs or Ritz crackers, if desired. To keep it a low-carb recipe, omit the french onion topping.
Cheese – The sky’s the limit with cheese. You can use mozzarella cheese, swiss cheese, monterey jack, mild cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese, gruyere or spicy pepper jack cheese. Basically, you can use any cheese you like in this recipe.
Fresh Herbs – You could add fresh parsley or fresh chives to the sauce for this loaded cauliflower casserole.
Broccoli – You may opt to use half cauliflower and half broccoli.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers – Store leftover Cauliflower Casserole covered with plastic wrap, aluminum foil or transfer to an airtight container. Pop it into the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating – Reheat individual servings in the microwave or in a preheated 350°F oven just until heated through.
Freezer – You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat just before serving.

More Easy Side Dishes to Make

Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole uses uncooked chicken to make prep a cinch.
Six ingredient Easy Cornbread Casserole.
This Pineapple Casserole is delicious alongside holiday ham.
You can never go wrong turning inexpensive green cabbage into this Cheesy Cabbage Casserole.
An all time family favorite Easy Broccoli Casserole recipe.
The family will flip for these Loaded Potato Cakes.
Homemade Green Bean Casserole.
This cheesy Scalloped Corn is a holiday favorite!
Carrot Casserole from Simply Stacie.

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