Cauliflower Casserole (Loaded Low Carb Side!)
This loaded bacon cheddar Cauliflower Casserole 🥓🧀 features tender cauliflower in a creamy cheese sauce that’s topped with crispy bacon and melted cheddar cheese! A cauliflower side dish that’s perfect for holiday entertaining, game days, or weeknight comfort food. Everyone will finish their cauliflower when it’s served like this!
Easy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe
- This loaded cauliflower casserole is sure to convert any picky eaters and vegetable-skeptical people in your life! Cauliflower never tasted so good.
- Roasted cauliflower is topped with a homemade cheesy creamy sauce, topped with more grated cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and baked to perfection.
- Whether you want to serve it as a Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish, for game days, or on weeknights when you’re in need of something warm, cozy, and comforting, it’s just perfect. As a bonus, it’s low-carb!
Ingredients in Bacon Cheddar Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
Cauliflower: I strongly recommend using fresh cauliflower rather than frozen. The texture is going to be preferable and you won’t have to worry about it accidentally turning to mushy. You can either use two 12-ounce bags of cauliflower florets or trim your own large head of cauliflower. You’re going to roast it with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Wondering if you can use some broccoli florets too? You sure can. Also check out my Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole which takes advantage of both cruciferous veggies.
Roux: Making a roux with melted butter and flour is going to help the sauce thicken so you don’t shortchange this important ‘lil trick. I also do this for my Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Casserole. So good!
Cheese Sauce: Whole milk (or you can use half-and-half), grated sharp cheddar cheese, grated white cheddar cheese, onion powder and garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
Toppings: Grated sharp cheddar cheese and bacon from previously cooked and crumbled real bacon. Cheese variations – If you happen to have other cheese on hand such as Parmesan cheese, pepper jack, Monterey jack, or Gruyere, and you want to incorporate them as toppings, you can sprinkle them on now. If you want to amp up the protein, add a cup or two of cooked and shredded chicken.
Garnishes, optional: Sliced green onions, fresh chives, parsley, cilantro, red pepper flakes, sour cream, or any garnishes that you enjoy.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole with Bacon
- Roast Cauliflower: Place the cauliflower on a large baking sheet, evenly drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown in a preheated oven.
- Roux: While the cauliflower is roasting, make the roux by melting the butter in a large skillet or saucepan, adding flour, and whisking continually for about 1 minute.
- Cheese Sauce: To the roux, add the milk while whisking constantly, some of each of the cheeses, spices, salt and pepper, and stir until smooth the mixture is smooth.
- Combine + Toppings: Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a baking dish or casserole dish. Evenly pour the cheese sauce over it, and evenly sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese and bacon.
- Bake + Garnish: Bake the casserole until the cheese has melted and is bubbly. Optionally, broil it for 1-2 minutes to crisp up the top for more flavor, and optionally garnish as desired and serve.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
- 24 ounces cauliflower florets, in bite-sized pieces (I use two 12-ounce bags cauliflower florets, or use 1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, half-and-half may be substituted
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided (grate by hand for best melting)
- ½ cup grated white cheddar cheese, divided (grate by hand for best melting)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste for sauce
- ¾ cup bacon, cooked and crumbled into small bits
- Optional garnishes, chives, green onions, parsley, red pepper flakes, sour cream, etc.
- Roast Cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425F, and place the cauliflower on a large baking sheet, evenly drizzle with olive oil, evenly season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and use clean hands to toss and coat evenly. Roast for about 20 minutes.
- Roux: While the cauliflower roasting, make the roux. To a medium or large skillet, add the butter, flour, and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring continuously, to create the roux. This is what helps the sauce thicken later so don’t shortchange this step.
- To the lightly golden browned roux, slowly add the milk, whisking continuously as you add it.
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Creamy Cheese Sauce: Add ¾ cup sharp cheddar, ¼ cup white cheddar, garlic powder, onion powder, and stir continuously to melt the cheeses, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.Cheese Tips – I prefer using two types of cheese in this recipe but if you want to use just one, it’s technically fine and I’d select the sharp cheddar.
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Transfer: Remove the roasted cauliflower from the oven and transfer into a sprayed or greased 2-quart baking dish (or 7×11-inch, 9×9-inch, or similar sized baking dish).To Make-Ahead, stop now, tightly cover with foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking off. If you’re going to do this, make sure to let it sit on your counter for at least 30 minutes to come to room temp before baking because you won’t have good results with a fridge-cold casserole.
- Pour: Evenly pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower.
- Sprinkle: Evenly sprinkle the top with the remaining cheeses, about 1/4 cup each of the sharp cheddar and white cheddar, and the bacon.
- Bake: Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese mixture is bubbly and the top is as lightly golden browned as desired.
- Broil, optionally: If you know how to use your broiler and are confident broiling, you may broil the casserole for 1-2 minutes, or as needed, to lightly brown the top. Tip – Whenever broiling, take care not to become distracted because food can go from underdone to burnt in the span of 30 seconds, and you ruin it all. Keep a very watchful eye on it.
- Garnish, optionally: With extra cheese, chives, green onions, more salt and pepper, etc. as desired, and serve immediately.
Storage: Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, taking care to reheat it gently in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or as needed, since there’s a cheesy cream sauce involved. For that reason, I’ve never frozen leftovers, although it may be possible.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 294cal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Sodium: 620mg, Potassium: 400mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 385IU, Vitamin C: 41mg, Calcium: 231mg, Iron: 1mg
