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Let’s have a round of applause for this cauliflower casserole loaded with bacon, cheese and cream. There’s no better way to add vegetables to your meal!
Casseroles make the easiest dinners, and in this case, a simple and delicious side! If you like this recipe, you’ll love our Twice Baked Potato Casserole that has a lot of similar ingredients and flavors.
Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
Sometimes I get tired of making the same recipes week after week. I want something different and tasty but also really easy and something my kids will love too.
This cauliflower casserole is all of those things and more! It’s loaded with healthy veggies, it’s tasty, AND it’s easy to throw into the oven for dinner after a long day.
The first time I made this recipe, my kids were hesitant to try it. But I can honestly say that they loved it! Even my cauliflower-hating kid loved it. Now that’s saying something. So you have no excuses not to try this casserole recipe. I promise your whole family will love it.
How to Make IT
Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees.
CAULIFLOWER. Spread the cauliflower pieces in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast 15-20 minutes, until crisp-tender, then remove from the oven and leave the oven on.
SAUCE. While the cauliflower is roasting, mix together the sour cream, heavy cream, minced garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Toss the cauliflower pieces with the sauce until coated.
COMBINE. Mix in half of the cheddar cheese, half of the bacon, and half of the green onions. Pour the cauliflower mixture into a casserole dish, and top with the remaining cheese and bacon.
BAKE. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melty. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions. Serve this casserole hot!
Recipe Tips:
- Line the pan with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- You can use frozen cauliflower, but don’t thaw first. You may simply need to add a couple of extra minutes to the bake time. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
- I like the rich nutty flavor that comes with rating the cauliflower, but you can use steamed cauliflower as well.
- Use freshly grated cheese. The prepackaged kind has a coating that doesn’t allow the cheese to melt as easily.
- Use our Bacon in the Oven Recipe to cook your bacon.
Variation Ideas
Here are a few ideas of things to add to change this up…
- Top with fresh chives
- Use Monterey Jack Cheese (or any of your favorite cheeses)
- Substitute broccoli for cauliflower or use some of both
- Add in diced bell peppers for an extra punch of flavor.
- MEXICAN VERSION – Use Mexican cheese, add peppers and sprinkle with a little chili pepper.
Storing + MORE CAULIFLOWER RECIPES
MAKING AHEAD OF TIME: Prepare the casserole a day in advance and store covered in the fridge. Remove from the fridge 15-20 minutes before baking. Bake according to directions
LEFTOVERS: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw, if applicable, and heat up in the oven or microwave.
Love cauliflower and want to make more recipes with it? Here are some of our favs…
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower
- Buffalo Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Rice
- Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
For more veggie casseroles, try:
- Easy Green Bean Casserole
- Squash Casserole
- Twice baked Potato Casserole
- Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
- Corn and Bacon Casserole
Cauliflower Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper divided
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 5 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450. Spread the cauliflower pieces in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast 15-20 minutes, until crisp-tender, then remove from the oven and leave the oven on.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, mix together the sour cream, heavy cream, minced garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Toss the cauliflower pieces with the sauce until coated. Mix in half of the cheddar cheese, half of the bacon, and half of the green onions.
- Pour the cauliflower mixture into a casserole dish, and top with the remaining cheese and bacon. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melty. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions. Serve hot.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there a way to add meat to this and make it more of a dinner casserole? Chicken maybe?
You bet! You could add some cooked, cubed chicken or even use a rotisserie chicken and shred and add. That would be tasty!
I would like the nutritional values. I’m on a keto diet and this looks very good!
Calories, carbs, fat, & protein. Thank you.
I don’t have the nutritional values on hand at the moment but I will look into it and get back to you on that. Thanks so much!
Hi Beverly! This recipe has 247 calories per serving, 23 grams fat, 2 grams of carbs and 8 grams of protein. Hope this helps!
My husband eats Keto and this is perfect recipe for him and it is DELICIOUS enough that the rest of the family will have a small portion as well.
This was fantastic! And the best part was that my kids didn’t even know they were eating cauliflower!
This looks so yummy and easy to make. Can’t go wrong with cheese and bacon and cauliflower!
A great side dish. A creamy dish of cauliflOwer that goes great with any meal.
I have always loved cauliflower & this was so cheesy & delicious! Glad I saw this recipe! We will use it again. It’s a great side!
Look so good
Thank you 🙂 Hope you give it a try!