This Creamy Cauliflower Recipe combines the classic comforts of creamy macaroni and cheese with all that is awesome about bacon (hello, flavor!) for one truly delicious low-carb casserole. It’s the perfect dinner side dish, and leftovers reheat perfectly.
This recipe contains everything you could possibly want from a creamy, cheesy side dish—at least the most important parts, like bacon, cheese, and cauliflower. Yes, cauliflower – that magically delicious low-carb and low-calorie veggie that tastes just like potatoes.
Even if you’re not a fan of cauliflower, I bet you’ll love this dish. It’s the perfect low-carb weekend and weeknight side dish – my favorite thing to serve with a juicy pan-seared steak.
Cooking Tips
- Pre-cook the cauliflower: Before mixing with the cheese sauce, you will need to pre-cook the cauliflower. This step is important because it guarantees fully cooked and softened cauliflower and reduces the overall time your casserole will need to spend in the oven. You can blanch the cauliflower in a large pot of salted boiling water for 5-6 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towels, or roast it in the oven until softened.
- Bring the sour cream and cream cheese to room temperature: For best results, bring the sour cream and cream cheese to room temperature before adding them to the sauce. Adding cold sour cream or cream cheese directly to a hot or boiling liquid may cause the milk proteins in the cream to contract rapidly, leading to curdling.
- Add other cheeses: This recipe would taste great with feta, parmesan, mozzarella, gruyere, or pepper jack cheese.
- Use full-fat ingredients: This includes full-fat sour cream, cream cheese, and whole milk. The cheese sauce will be silkier and taste better.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cauliflower: The key ingredient and base of this dish. You’ll want to partially cook your cauliflower before mixing with the cheese sauce. I’ve chosen to blanch the cauliflower florets, but steaming or roasting will also work.
- Olive oil: A little oil is needed to sauté the onion and garlic.
- Onion and Garlic: Softened onion and garlic in a little bit of oil will give the cheese sauce so much extra flavor. Add additional garlic for a more garlicky sauce.
- Cheese sauce: The cheese sauce starts with a roux, which is made by combining fat (in this case, melted butter) with all-purpose flour to form a thick paste. The sauce also contains whole milk (half-and-half or heavy cream may also be used), sour cream, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Seasoning: This recipe includes salt, black pepper, and fresh thyme. For more flavor, you can add a little garlic or onion powder.
- Bacon: A little bit of cooked bacon adds just the right amount of salty, smoky flavor to the dish.
Optional toppings: Additional bacon, chopped green onions, chives, fresh thyme, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce (I love a little Tabasco sauce).
Is this Cheesy Cauliflower Bake Keto?
Technically, no. However, you can easily make it keto-friendly by omitting the all-purpose flour. Since you won’t have flour to thicken the cheese sauce, you may want to add a little extra shredded cheese or a little less milk.
How to Make Cheesy Cauliflower
1. Blanch the cauliflower: Fill a large pot with water and add a generous teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, carefully add the cauliflower florets and blanch (aka boil for a short period of time) for 5-6 minutes. Drain and gently pat the cauliflower dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. Cook the bacon: Add the chopped bacon to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the bacon is hot and sizzling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook low and slow, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon pieces are golden and the fat is rendered, remove the lid and allow it to cook until the desired doneness is reached. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Discard all but 1-2 tablespoons of leftover bacon grease.
3. Soften the onions: Return the pan to medium heat. Cook the onion in the reserved bacon grease for 4-5 minutes or until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute, mixing well to combine with the onions.
4. Make the roux: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, sprinkle in the flour, whisking to combine. Continue to cook, stirring continuously, for 1-2 minutes.
5. Prepare the cheese sauce: Slowly whisk in the milk until completely combined with the roux. Bring to a gentle simmer – do not boil. Add the cream cheese and continue to whisk until fully incorporated with the milk. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, half of the shredded cheese, and half of the crumbled bacon. Season generously with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme to taste.
6. Assemble: Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a large 9×13″ casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the blanched cauliflower to your prepared baking dish. Pour the homemade cheese sauce directly over the florets and gently mix to combine. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese, bacon, and fresh thyme (or green onions).
7. Bake: Bake until the cauliflower is soft and tender, and the cheese is melted, approximately 25-35 minutes. Garnish with additional salt and pepper, chopped scallions, red pepper, or your favorite hot sauce to taste.
What to Serve with Cheesy Baked Cauliflower
I almost exclusively serve this recipe with meat. It’s saucy and indulgent, like something I’d find at a fancy steakhouse. For this reason, I recommend serving it with,
- Steak or prime rib
- Roast\ chicken (this can mean a whole chicken or simple oven-roasted chicken legs)
- Lamb chops
- Pork tenderloin or pork chops (these 15-minute garlic butter pork chops are a family favorite)
While it’s true that I tend to think of this recipe as a side dish, you can easily transform it into a filling main course with the addition of cooked chicken (I love rotisserie chicken for this) and a little bit of cooked rice (2-3 cups is plenty).
More Cauliflower Recipes,
- Cauliflower Leek and Potato Soup (Dairy-Free)
- The Best Mashed Cauliflower Recipe (Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes)
- Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe
- Vegetarian Cauliflower Tikka Masala Recipe (Instant Pot)
- How to Make Cauliflower Rice
- Aloo Gobi Recipe (Potatoes and Cauliflower)
RECIPE CARD
Cheesy Cauliflower Bake with Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 small head of cauliflower - chopped into small florets (about 12 cups)
- 6 slices bacon - chopped
- 1 small onion - minced
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour - use gluten-free all-purpose flour to make this recipe gluten-free
- 2½ cups whole milk - plus more if needed
- 4 ounces cream cheese - softened, brought to room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream - brought to room temperature
- 2 cups shredded cheddar - divided
- 1 teaspoon salt - plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper - plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- green onions - for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a large 9"x13" casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Fill a large pot with water and add a generous teaspoon of salt. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, carefully transfer the cauliflower florets to the pot and blanch for 3-4 minutes. Drain and gently pat the cauliflower dry with a clean paper towel. Set aside.
- Chop the bacon into small pieces and add them to a large skillet or saucepan set over medium-high heat. Once the bacon is hot and sizzling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook low and slow, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon pieces are golden and release their grease, remove the lid and allow them to cook until the desired doneness is reached. Remove from heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Discard all but 1-2 tablespoons of leftover bacon grease.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute, mixing well to combine with the onions.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Melt the butter. Once melted, sprinkle with flour and stir until completely combined and the raw flour has been cooked off (approximately 1 minute). Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, until fully combined. Bring to a low simmer.
- Add the cream cheese and continue to whisk until fully incorporated with the milk. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, half of the shredded cheese, and half of the crumbled bacon. Season generously with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme, to taste.
- Transfer the drained cauliflower florets to your prepared baking dish. Pour the homemade cheese sauce directly over the florets and mix well to combine. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese, bacon, and fresh thyme (or green onions).
- Bake until the cauliflower is soft and tender and the cheese is melted approximately 25-35 minutes. Garnish with additional salt and pepper, chopped scallions, red pepper, or your favorite hot sauce, to taste.
Jessica’s Notes
- For best results, transfer leftovers to an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended.
- Try this with other veggies – broccoli would be especially delicious!
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your florets, the type of oven you’re using, how pre-cooked your cauliflower was before being mixed with the cheese sauce, etc.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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