I’m guessing that if your kids are back to school and you’ve been as busy as I have these past couple of weeks, then you probably need something easy to make for dinner! Since I also needed something easy to post today, hopefully this low carb recipe will benefit both of us!
Honestly, this isn’t even something I was planning to share! I was starving and super busy, so I threw the cauliflower into the microwave, intending to make the jalapeno popper cauliflower casserole. The thing is, when the cauliflower was cooked I didn’t even want to bother pureeing it.
I also didn’t feel like making the cream cheese mixture and slicing the jalapenos!
So I simply attacked the cooked cauliflower (which already had the butter and cream in it) with a fork, and laid some pre-sliced pepper jack cheese over the top. Back in the microwave for 2 more minutes and it was done!
I took a hurried bite because we were on our way out, and instantly was like “holy moly this is DELICIOUS!” and stopped to take a few quick photos so I could share it with you!
[pinterest text=”Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin (low carb and gluten free) from ibreatheimhungry.com” layout=”horizontal” image=”http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/cauligratin2small-700×879.jpg”]
This is some no frills food photography if I ever saw it though! It was getting dark, and I had no time to set up to make it pretty either!
I promise, it tastes waaaayyyyyy better than it looks, and was so easy to make that it’s almost embarrassing!
[pinterest text=”Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin (low carb and gluten free) from ibreatheimhungry.com” layout=”horizontal” image=”http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/cauligratin3small-700×420.jpg”]
Sometimes when life gets ridiculously busy though, you just need a simple, yet delicious low carb recipe that you can get on the table STAT! This is that recipe! Pair it with the protein of your choice and a side salad, and you’ve got dinner on the table in half an hour or less! Enjoy!
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Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin Recipe (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A simple, yet delicious, low carb side dish recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 cups raw cauliflower florets
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 deli slices pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- In a microwave safe dish, combine the cauliflower, butter, cream, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Microwave on high for about 25 minutes, or until tender. (Edit: There seems to be some confusion about this amount of time. Cook it til it’s soft. It takes me 25 minutes for this much cauliflower in my microwave, yours might be less. You can always start with 10 minutes, then 10 more, then 5 more if necessary. The key is to get it soft enough to mash with a fork. This amount of time also sweetens the cauliflower and reduces the cream and butter, making it like a thick sauce.) Remove from the microwave and mash with a fork or potato masher. Taste and season with more salt or pepper if necessary. Lay the slices of cheese across the top of the cauliflower. Microwave for another 2- 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve hot!
Notes
Approximate nutrition info per serving: 215 calories, 19g fat, 2g net carbs, 6g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: approximately 3/4 cup
[pinterest text=”Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin (low carb and gluten free) from ibreatheimhungry.com” layout=”horizontal” image=”http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/cauligratinsmall-700×827.jpg”]
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Lynne Etheridge says
Totally 5 stars until reheating. I think the cheese gets rubbery when it is reheated in the microwave. I make this through mashing/seasoning the cauliflower and then portion out my serving, top with a slice of cheese and heat it individually. For leftovers, repeat from portion out my serving.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Great tip, thanks for sharing!
Lori says
I just made this recipe and thought I’d add my notes. I prefer not to microwave food so I boiled the cauliflower in salted water instead, drained it then returned the pot to the warm stove eye topped with a towel then the lid to steam it dry for 5-10 minutes. I do that with everything that tends to hold water. After adding the butter and cream, I found the consistency perfect for a gratin, but I’m going to be placing this in an oven where some more liquid will evaporate. I measured it when placing into my gratin dish to bake it and melt the cheese on top and it measured right at 2.25 cups, three 3/4 cup servings. I believe the recipe calculates it to be six 3/4 cup servings and I didn’t find that to be true. Any cheese will be great, especially blue! If you’re not counting calories some ground up pork rinds on top (if not using the microwave method) would give it a good crunch! My method takes the easy out certainly, but that’s a personal preference. Delicious!!
Lizzy says
Thank you! I was trying to figure out how I could make this without a microwave :)
Maggie says
Very delicious, rich and filling. Like others said I did not get 6 servings of appropriately 3/4 cup. I got 3 scant 3/4 cups. I used fresh in the microwave…..so easy. Next time I will double the cauliflower, half the cheese and adjust the nutrition. It was so rich I think I will be able to keep the cream and butter the same and not mash so much! I added a little garlic and next time I will try it without because the delicate sweetness was a little obscured.
★★★
Jackie says
This was soooo good! I only microwaved it for like 15-20 minutes because I didn’t want all of it to be mashed. I left a few chunky pieces that way it had texture. Very yummy.
★★★★★
Leighellen Landskov says
This one was not my favorite. I loved the addition of the spicy cheese. It does give it a real kick and takes away some of the cauliflower flavor. But it was a bit too runny and wet and the consistency was off for me. This was the first time I’ve made this, though, and I’m truly OBSESSED with some of your other recipes – like your “Better Than Potatoes” creamy cauliflower puree. I’ve tasted so many fake mashed potato recipes that are super gross!! But that one nails it. It’s perfect! And I love your cauliflower risotto. So maybe this one just wasn’t as good COMPARED to the others. :)
★★★
krystal Bruce says
So easy and my husband actually ate it and liked it!!
★★★★★
Kelly Roy says
Made this using the instructions that someone provided for the oven. It was delicious! Will make again. Only minor issue I had was the the slices of pepper jack cheese kind of glued to the cauli in their shape. This made getting 6 portions out of the dish clean and perfect, but it was hard to cut the cheese when eating so I didn’t end up taking the whole slice in 1 bite. It might have been the brand or thickness I used (or choosing the oven), so I might just tear them up and toss on top next time.
★★★★★
Diane says
Where are the oven instructions?! I would love to try it that way instead!
Queenie says
Hi Diane – I was thinking the same thing! Here are 3 previous comments about preparing this dish in the oven instead of the microwave:
Mellissa Sevigny says
August 28, 2013 at 5:49 pm
Of course, or you could steam the cauliflower first, drain it and then add the rest of the ingredients and bake it at 375 degrees (F) for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the cream has reduced and become thick. Enjoy!
Rae says
July 12, 2016 at 1:46 pm
I just steamed an entire head of cauliflower last night for this dish and (after coarsely chopping) I only had to steam for 5 minutes until the florets were fork-soft. I transferred them to a baking dish coated with butter and laid the pepper-jack cheese over the top and popped into a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. melty- bubbly goodness!
Ngarita says
November 11, 2016 at 4:54 am
This was divine! I was a little unsure how it would turn out as sometimes I find making a recipe from another country (I live in New Zealand) can really yield different results as measurements/products may not be the same. We don’t have Pepper jack cheese, so instead I used a blend of mozzarella, colby and parmesan cheese. I also :
– added a bit of leek
– baked it in a dish in the oven for 10 min (I still precooked the mixture for about 17 min in the microwave)
– sprinkled pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on top (before baking) to add a bit of crunch
will definitely be checking out your other recipes! :)
Hope this helps you out!
Stephanie says
So coming from years of low fat dieting, it does kind of freak me out to see this much fat in a side dish. I am ok with eating more fat and know it is good for you, but fear I may go in the opposite direction and go towards too much fat a day which will stall weight loss. Let’s say I use this as a side dish, should I pick a main dish that is lower in fat?
Also I was thinking of adding rotisserie chicken and baking in the oven as you instructed previously and making it a one pot meal. Have you done this before.?
Shawnte says
Loved this recipe!! I haven’t really been a fan of cauliflower but I enjoyed every bite if this dish!!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
So glad! Thanks for letting me know!
Leigh says
Delicious! My 15 year old son said “That was cauliflower?!” It’s a hit!
★★★★★
KdonnRN says
Making this right now with chipotle cheddar. Made it the original way before with pepper jack. Yum OH!
Brendan says
Fantastic recipe, however I need some help. I made this but it did not make nearly the servings it said it would. I double checked to make sure I used 4 cups of cauliflower florets, butter, heavy cream but it only made about a cup of gratin.
Shelia says
Me too!! Wondering if I messed up somehow
Shelia says
Were we supposed to used two 10 oz bags of frozen cauliflower???
Diane says
I made it twice now and only get 2 servings! No way it yields 6!
E. R. LeCroy says
My entire family devours this every time I make it! Great recipe with dairy that doesn’t actually leave me with a tummy ache!
karissa says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe, even my picky 3 year old loved it!
★★★★★
PWARD says
I am in love with this! LOL I used about 5 cups cauliflower but left everything else the same. I don’t use the microwave much so I steamed the cauliflower until they were tender. Then I put them in a casserole dish and chop it with a fork. Added the butter, cream salt and pepper and gave it a good stir. I left some of the cauliflower a little chunky. I then laid the six slices of cheese on top and baked at 350 for about 20 minutes or until my cheese was bubbly and just browning a little. It is Delicious!
★★★★★
Kelly Roy says
Thanks for your oven instructions. I prefer to bake my stuff in the oven too over the microwave. Gonna give this a go this coming weekend! And thanks to the author for the lovely recipe!
Sondra Jacobson says
This is absolutely sensational! And something to always have on hand. The only ingredient I added was crumbled and ground bacon bits. The saltiness of the bacon popped it right up to amazing. Melissa, thank you so much for this site… I hate finding keto recipes but yours are so lovely to look at, it is a pleasure!
Dawn says
I tried this receipe for the first time tonight. I was short some of the original ingredients so I improvised. I had a bag of pre crumbled cauliflower that needed to be used soon. It eliminated much of the mashing required. I didn’t have pepper jack cheese so I substituted Asiago and provolone. The only cream I had was whipping cream so I used that instead. I also added bacon pieces and minced onion. Overall, it tasted yummy. I look forward to trying the receipe when I have the original ingredients. I think I need to reduce the microwave times. It may be altitude related. That you for the receipe!
Alexis-Morgan Roark says
Hubby does most of the cooking in the house. Ok. Fine. He does ALL of the cooking. I really s@ck at cooking. No kidding. Well, I made this and the ONLY mistake I made was in NOT closely following the recipe portions. Who knew that HUGE head of cauliflower would cook down to nothing?? Not this girl! it was delicious if a bit cheesey (see aforementioned comment re that not following the recipe). Planning to make this again this week! Thank you for helping this non-cooker feed her family of one teenage girl vegetarian, two ketoers (one is prediabetic), and two growing teenage boys! EVERYONE ate well that day…cheese and all! ;-)
★★★★★
Betty Kenney DontusemyemailIdonthaveaccess says
Oh, yes yes, please…. I dont do microwave, I had this same thought….. Maybe 350 for half hour? Maybe 400 for 20 minutes? I dont really KNOW, but I THINK this will work…. I will try it and then (chemobrain permitting) I will try to remember to come back here and reply…. Ill try to remember, lol :(
Clare says
ANy suggestions for making this with fresh cauliflower and NO microwave! Help please!!
Cheryl Russell says
Thanks so much! Making this tonight!!!