When combined with the caramelized onions, brown mushrooms, onion, and Parmesan cheese, this creamy cauliflower-based dish is practically begging to be paired with your mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Thanksgiving is the Olympics of meals; everyone comes to the table craving their favorite dishes and the stakes are high.

Your email address will not be published. Credit: I’ve made this recipe before and love it. Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer, I Made This Easy, Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole for Thanksgiving and it Was Gone Before the Mac and Cheese. Meanwhile, arrange the bacon strips in a single layer on the prepared foil-lined baking sheet. Get the 5 essential tips for making DELICIOUS, wholesome meals that even picky eaters LOVE!

Your email address will not be published. Really?” I told her to trust me. I changed into my dinner attire while the casserole baked, letting the topping crisp into a bubbly, cheesy layer. And it truly does taste like baked mac and cheese, but you can get away with calling it “healthy” because of the cauliflower base. To keep the casserole as low maintenance as possible, I skipped the classic gratin white sauce in favor of a blend of cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and shredded cheese that I dolloped over the top. Remove the cauliflower from the oven, and add dollops of the cream cheese mixture to the dish. Then you dump it all in a casserole dish—I also mixed some extra shredded cheese into the casserole because why not? Read our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. Well+Good decodes and demystifies what it means to live a well life, inside and out. Combined with the tart berries, cauliflower is actually transformed into a delicious—gorgeous—dessert. Here, cauliflower and broccoli pop up in riced form as a filling and cranberries top it all off. Turn the oven to broil for 1 to 3 minutes, until cheese is golden. These simple and spectacular Southern cakes deserve a comeback, These sides will be the real stars of Thanksgiving dinner. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Disclosure & Privacy Policy. Southern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group.

© 2010 - 2020 Well Plated by Erin. We believe that cooking is an important piece of the wellness puzzle and that everyone can make magic (or at least some avo toast) happen in the kitchen. Keep the bowl handy. In the same bowl that you used to toss the cauliflower, beat together the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until combined. It’s loaded baked potatoes meets cauliflower au gratin, with a serious, obsessively tasty OOMPH that beats them both. Unlike both of these classic side dishes, however, loaded cauliflower casserole is something that your guests might not have seen before. The cream cheese blend warms in the oven and envelops the tender florets with mouthfuls of decadence. I have never liked Thanksgiving. Well, I wanted to keep this recipe easy, so it only takes a handful of simple ingredients and straight forward steps to assemble. Healthy ingredients lighten it up, but it tastes so decadent! Southern Living is a registered trademark of, These Haircuts Are Going To Be Huge in 2021, 140 Thanksgiving Side Dishes That’ll Steal the Show, 7 Paint Colors We’re Loving for Kitchen Cabinets in 2020, 50 Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Besides carrots and cauliflower, the recipe (from blogger A Tasty Love Story) also calls for eggs, chia seeds, psyllium husk, and sunflower seeds. There’s cranberry sauce, and then there’s this dessert from Unconventional Baker.

My family had its doubts, but even my health guru sister ended up going back for seconds. Remove the bacon and cauliflower from the oven. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese is melted. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Sign up for Well+, our online community of wellness insiders, and unlock your rewards instantly. Crumble the bacon into pieces. Transfer the cauliflower to the prepared casserole dish and spread into an even layer. Is It Maskne, or Rosacea? Lightly coat a casserole dish with nonstick spray, and line a baking sheet with foil. I spent weeks researching, sifting through the Southern Living archives to find the perfect recipes. To make it, you whisk the poaching liquid from your cabbage and cauliflower into a simple roux (flour and melted butter; whisk it in by the half-cupful to avoid lumps). Like a cauliflower gratin, this low carb cauliflower casserole is rich, cheesy, and makes you question whether or not it actually contains vegetables. My secrets for making wholesome meals you'll WANT to eat. Determined to transform my image of the holiday, I took charge of my family’s Thanksgiving menu. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Can I prepare the casserole and instead of baking right away, can it be frozen to bake at a later date? I agreed, but in the spirit of a true Southern Thanksgiving, I wanted to make the vegetables as indulgent as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved getting together with my extended family and playing touch football in the yard, but I dreaded the Thanksgiving meal itself.

You can freeze a cauliflower casserole. The cauliflower is pureed with nuts, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and sea salt creating a thick, “cheesy,” topping. Let the cream cheese mixture come to room temperature. When I stumbled upon this recipe for Easy Cauliflower Casserole, I knew it’d fit the bill. My siblings volunteered to serve as my sous chefs and my mom did all the grocery shopping in advance. The use of traditional ingredients like pecans, sage, celery, and yellow onion keep the dish tasting just the way everyone craves. It is also high in fiber and low in calories. Strategically used cinnamon, vanilla extract, agave, and lemon juice also help sweeten it up, while pumpkin seeds help form the base, adding structure as well as nutrients. ‘Tis the season to ditch your all-white palette in favor of something a little bolder and brighter. Lay the bacon strips on the baking sheet, and bake until crisp. The Well Plated Cookbook is now available! If you consider cauliflower bland or ho-hum, then I invite you to grab a plate and try this stand-out, super-loaded, cheesy Cauliflower Casserole. At first, my family was skeptical of this recipe. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses, and return to the oven. Bake the cauliflower on the lower rack for 30 minutes, until the florets are tender and begin to brown. Return the pan to the upper third of the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and gooey, about 5 to 7 minutes. I’ve never seen it the same way since. The boldest cauli move you can make on Thanksgiving: replacing the turkey with it.

© 2020 Well+Good LLC. Stir the cauliflower, spread it back into an even layer, and place it on the upper rack to continue cooking until the end of its baking time.