This Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe is one of my favorite dishes we have at Thanksgiving. It is so easy to make, and is loaded with lots of cheese and creamy goodness!
Cheesy Cauliflower casserole is one of those side dishes that my family seems to have at every holiday. It is one of those recipes that my grandmother always made. So I carried on the tradition and made a few changes to make it my own.
I think the reason I love this recipe so much is that it goes with everything. From a Easter ham to a Thanksgiving turkey. Some of my other favorite side dish casseroles are my Sweet Potato Casserole and my Scalloped Potatoes. They are both so delicious and a perfect comfort food for the holidays or a family dinner.
Cauliflower Casserole Ingredients
- Cauliflower– Large head of cauliflower cut into bite size pieces. Be careful not to over cook.
- Butter– I try to cut out salt wherever I can, so I choose to use unsalted butter.
- Monterey Jack Cheese– Is a white, semi-hard cheese made with cow’s milk. It has a mild flavor and slight sweetness.
- Sour Cream– I prefer to use original sour cream, however you can also use light or low fat.
- Cream Cheese– My original recipe did not call for cream cheese. But, I love to mix it up and do half cream cheese and half sour cream when I can. If you are not a cream cheese fan double the sour cream and omit the cream cheese.
- Canned Green Chilies– I am not a huge fan of spicy food so I use the Mild Green Chilies. You can go as spicy as you would like.
- Yellow Onion– They have the perfect flavor for this casserole.
- Salt & Pepper– Not much is needed, there are so many delicious flavors in this dish.
- Plain Bread Crumbs– Add the perfect crunch to the top of this casserole.
How To Make Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Wash and cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces.
- Cook the cauliflower until it is slightly tender. Make sure to not overcook.
- In a large mixing bowl add Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, cream cheese green chilies, diced onion, salt, and pepper. Stir until well blended.
- Drain cooked cauliflower and add to mixture, and stir together.
- Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl melt 2 tbsp. of butter.
- Add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs to the melted butter. Mix together and sprinkle on top.
- Bake for 25-30 min. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 mins. before serving.
Tips For Cauliflower Casserole
- Because the cauliflower is cooked twice, make sure that when you boil/steam it, you don’t over cook it. The cauliflower will absorb some of the flavors and continue to cook when you bake it.
- My husband said bacon would be delicious in this casserole! Lol, I agree with him! But, to be fair bacon would be good in anything!
- My original recipe calls for 8oz of sour cream, but I love to add cream cheese wherever I can. If you are not a cream cheese fan just omit the cream cheese and double the sour cream.
How To Make Ahead and Store
I love this casserole more than I love Turkey on Thanks Giving! Because there is so much cooking going on the day of Thanksgiving I like to make it in advance.
- To Make Ahead– Prepare as directed, minus the bread crumbs. Wrap with 2 layers of plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to two days. Add bread crumbs and butter mixture right before baking.
- To Reheat– Reheat leftovers in the oven at 350 degrees until warm. For small portions, you can also reheat in the microwave.
- To Store– Wrap with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can You Freeze Cauliflower Casserole?
Absolutely! You can freeze it before or after it is cooked
- To freeze the casserole before it is baked just make sure that it is cooled before freezing. You can freeze it in a casserole dish wrapped with several layers of plastic wrap for up to 1 month. Before baking let it thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 mins.
- To freeze leftovers- Let them cool, and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Large head of cauliflower
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1½ cups Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 oz Sour Cream
- 4 oz Cream cheese
- 4 oz Can of chopped green chilies strained
- ½ cup Diced onion
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- ½ cup Bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Wash and cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces.
- Cook the cauliflower until it is slightly tender. Make sure to not over cook.
- In a large mixing bowl add Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, cream cheese green chilies, diced onion, salt, and pepper. Stir until well blended.
- Drain cooked cauliflower and add to mixture, and stir together.
- Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl melt 2 tbsp. of butter.
- Add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs to the melted butter. Mix together and sprinkle on top.
- Bake for 25-30 min. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 mins. before serving.
Notes
Have you tried this recipe?
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience. Getting feedback from you helps me and other readers too!
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This looks so delicious and tasty! My family is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try!
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Cauliflower and casseroles have been two of my favorite things in 2020. I can’t wait to give this casserole recipe a try.
Me too! We have been making so many casseroles lately. Enjoy!
Yum! This made for the perfect dinner, thanks for sharing
So happy to hear that you liked it!
This cauliflower casserole has a crunchy top and cheesy warm center.
The topping is my favorite part
I can see why you have this at Thanksgiving. It looks marvelous!! A meal in itself.
Thank you so much!