Cauliflower Mac and cheese is the perfect low carb alternative to baked Mac and Cheese. No it does not taste like the carb loaded mac and cheese, but it is perfectly cheesy and delicious. Everyone will love this cheesy cauliflower side dish recipe!
Cauliflower Mac and cheese Recipe
Side dishes can be the hardest thing to come up with if you are trying to hard when sticking to low carb. It is easy to miss the traditional carb loaded side dishes when you are making the switch to a low carb diet, but I am happy to say that there are LOTS of low carb side dish alternatives that taste just as good as the carb loaded ones many of us love.
In my house it is important that when something is low carb it is also delicious. I am not about to eat boring bland food and neither is my family. Actually I am pretty confident in saying there could be a riot if I tried to server them bland food, since they all seem to have been born with very classy taste buds.
Aside from tasting amazing and getting the 100% approval from all the non low carb eaters in my house, this is an easy cauliflower side dish recipe! I LOVE easy, it is a must with a household like ours!
This cauliflower mac and cheese is perfect for a weeknight dinner or a holiday meal.
Looking for more Low Carb Holiday Recipes? Check these out!
What to Serve with Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
There are lots of tasty main dish recipes that are perfect to go with cauliflower mac and cheese. Any recipe you would normally enjoy mac and cheese as a side dish with will go perfect with this easy cauliflower recipe.
There are lots of main dishes that we always serve with cheesy cauliflower mac and cheese, they are staples for us and I am sure there are ones your family will love too!
- Keto Fried Fish Sandwich
- Garlic Lime Chicken Legs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken
- Keto meatloaf
Tips for Making this recipe
Use real cheese. Using real cheese is important or you are going to end up with a grainy funky texture.
Shred your own cheese. I also find it works best when making the cheese sauce to shred it myself. While the pre shredded cheese does save on time, it has a coating on it so it doesn’t stick in the package but that makes it not melt as well freshly shredded.
Change up the cheese flavors. You can totally change things up when it comes to the type of cheese you are using. Monterey Jack, white cheddar, Cheddar Jack, Monterey Jack and Havarti are all great to use.
Use Fresh Cauliflower. You can use frozen cauliflower but I find this recipe works best with fresh cauliflower florets.
Use heavy cream or milk. I like to have a thicker and richer cheese sauce so I use heavy cream but you can use milk instead.
How to Store Leftovers
Allow the leftovers to cool completely. Once cool store in the fridge in an air tight container. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Cauliflower and Cheese Ingredients
- cauliflower florets
- parmesan cheese, grated finely
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- heavy cream or milk
- cheddar cheese, shredded
- cream cheese
- dijon mustard
- garlic powder
- paprika
- mozzarella cheese
- parmesan cheese
How to Make Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a 9×9 casserole pan with cooking spray.
Place the cauliflower onto a sheet pan and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower has softened.
In a small pot, combine the heavy cream, cheddar, cream cheese, dijon, garlic, and paprika. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it is smooth about 5 minutes, making sure you stir often. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir the roasted cauliflower and mozzarella cheese into the sauce, transfer the mixture to the casserole pan. Top the dough with parmesan cheese and place it back into the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Low Carb Cauliflower Recipes
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
- Keto Cauliflower with cheese sauce
- Cauliflower and sausage stuffing
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound cauliflower florets
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated finely
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a 9×9 casserole pan with cooking spray.
- Place the cauliflower onto a sheet pan and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower has softened.
- In a small pot, combine the heavy cream, cheddar, cream cheese, dijon, garlic, and paprika. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it is smooth about 5 minutes, making sure you stir often. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir the roasted cauliflower and mozzarella cheese into the sauce, transfer the mixture to the casserole pan. Top the dough with parmesan cheese and place it back into the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
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