Recently I posted the low carb Pepperoni Pizza Cauliflower Casserole, which has been wildly popular here on IBIH. I still make it often, because it’s easy and sooo satisfying! Since that combination worked so well, I thought why not incorporate another of my favorite flavor profiles into it, and give it a Mexican twist?
So I experimented, and created this low carb cheesy chipotle version. It was a raging success! Even Mr. Hungry, a sworn hater of all things cauliflower, asked for a second bite of this one when he tasted it. I think the secret was the chipotle’s that I added to the puree – it really masks the cauliflower flavor and gives it a lovely smokiness.
I was going to call it “Nacho Mama’s Cauliflower Casserole” but stupid SEO is always ruining my fun, and stifling my creative genius when it comes to post titles. First world food blogger problems.
Originally I made it pretty with the tomatoes and sour cream as seen above. But then it got cold when I was taking the photos, and so I piled some more cheese and salsa onto it and threw it in the oven to reheat. I forgot about it, and it was in there for about half an hour before I remembered and took it out. That’s when this happened…
[pinterest text=”Cheesy Chipotle Cauliflower Casserole (low carb and gluten free) – ibreatheimhungry.com” layout=”horizontal” image=”http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/chipotlecauli2small-700×866.jpg”]
Oh man, it was soooo good! The cheese turned all crispy around the edges, and the cauliflower puree absorbed more of the green salsa and chipotle flavors, and it all just got super concentrated and cheesy. Om nom nom….
It’s hard to say if I liked this one better than the pepperoni pizza – that’s like choosing between cheesecake and ice cream, they’re both delicious in a different way. If you enjoy Mexican flavors though, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that this one is a winner on every front!
[pinterest text=”Cheesy Chipotle Cauliflower Casserole (low carb and gluten free) – ibreatheimhungry.com” layout=”horizontal” image=”http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/chipotlecauli1small-680×950.jpg”]
PrintCheesy Chipotle Cauliflower Casserole (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
A low carb and gluten free cauliflower casserole recipe with a Mexican twist!
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the puree:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 Tbsp (or more) chopped chipotles in adobo sauce (canned)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
For the casserole:
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup chopped raw tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos (optional)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
For the puree:
- Clean and trim the cauliflower, breaking it into medium sized pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with 2 Tbsp of cream and 1 Tbsp of butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10 minutes. Stir to coat cauliflower with cream/butter mixture. Microwave for another six – eight minutes on high (or until cauliflower is tender). Remove from the microwave and put into a high speed blender or food processor along with the cheese, chipotles, and garlic powder. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the casserole:
- Spread the puree in an 8 x 8 casserole dish. Spread on the sour cream, then the salsa verde. Sprinkle the chopped tomatoes and jalapenos on top. Cover with the shredded cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes at 375 degrees (F), or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Approx nutrition info. per serving: 335 calories, 26g fat, 6g net carbs, 14g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 inch square
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I made this at the end of a long day and instead of layering the salsa verde and sour cream on top, I just mixed it all together except for the cheese. I also used more like 3 Tbsp of the Chipotle and it wasn’t hot. I thought it was fabulous and had to cut myself off after two servings. YUM! My husband liked the taste, but didn’t like the texture. I’m making the Keto Pork Chops Al Pastor tonight to use up the Chipotle. Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★
I have 2 questions about this one…1) I see several recipes call for Salsa verde…is there a specific brand you recommend, or is this homemade? 2) The second picture of the “overcooked” version looks tastiest to me…does the recipe back time only allow for the first pictured version?
I’m sorry, but I did not enjoy this at ALL. I made it against my better judgment- I thought that mixing the smoky flavors of chipotle and the tanginess of the verde salsa was odd, but all of the raving comments convinced me to try it. I found the combination to be pretty gross.
I was stuck with a lot of food I didn’t want to eat, so I threw in a can of fire roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, cilantro, and some dried chipotle powder (and I think cumin) and blended it up to make a soup. Not bad.
★
Sorry you weren’t a fan of it, glad you were able to salvage it and make it work for you!
This was om nom nom! I loved how with the chipotle giving the cauliflower color and spice, it reminded me a bit of beans!
★★★★★
This was VERY good. I was on a quest for some creative cauliflower low carb recipes, after having gotten stuck into a routine with various “faux rices” and “fauxtatoes.” Wow, this was a great addition. I suspect it would work well as a dip, would probably also be great with chicken in it. Applause.
This is the first ever dish I’ve made using cauliflower as a low carb ingredient. It was amazing! Next time I will add more of the chipotle, Mmmm.
★★★★★
This is by far the best one of your dishes I have tried. I can’t believe it doesn’t even need a protein! I might put some fajita meat in it next time just because though.
You are my new culinary hero!!! I had a huge head of cauliflower, so I made this recipe and your Pepperoni Cauliflower Bake. Wow!!! Is all I can say! I served the Pepperoni dish tonight and my family scraped their plates!!!! Thank you!!!!!
So glad you guys all liked it Mandy, thanks for letting me know!
Wow! I rarely come across NEW low carb recipes I haven’t tried and I’m just dying to make this. Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it! Ps. I love this blog, it’s my go to!
Thanks so much Karis, hope you like this as much as we did!
Made this with dinner tonight. Even my non-spice eating daughter thought it was delicious! Who knew cauliflower could be so flavorful.
Glad it was a hit Matt, thanks for letting me know!
This was sooo delicious! It’ll definitely be going in my rotation. I think I’ll add bacon next time. Thanks for this recipe!
Tried this tonight and really liked it. My husband thought it needed something else to give it texture but I enjoyed the recipe as-is. :) Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you SO much for sharing this amazing recipe! It disappeared so fast I didn’t even get to take a picture, the only bad part about this recipe is that there we’re no leftovers :(
I didn’t use a microwave, I used about a cup of water, added to the butter, cream and caul, in a med pot with a lid, on high for about 15 mins, bring to a boil first and stir a few times. I had to add a little more cream in the blender to get it to blend right but it still turned out super good.
Glad you liked this Brandi and thanks for sharing your stovetop method!!!
Tried it this weekend, epic fail. The texture was weird and I threw most of it away :( I’m sure it was a taste preference issue, but blach! I’ll try some other variations because the recipe combination seems like it should be amazing!
Can I substitute the heavy cream with Greek yogurt? This sounds amazing! I’m a bariatric surgery patient, and all of these cauliflower recipes are a godsend!
Absolutely Mikey – I’m sure it would be just as good with the yogurt, and it may even add a nice little tang to it! Enjoy!
I used frozen cauliflower, its easier than cutting up a head of it and works just as well:-) great recipes…keep em’ coming!
Thanks! And frozen cauliflower is my new best friend! :)
This sounds delicious, Melissa. I’ll be trying this out soon!
This sounds fantastic, but I’m wondering could I do it with fat free half and half instead of heavy whipping cream? I’m trying to balance between lower carb and lower fat, too.
Thanks,
Karen
Absolutely Karen!
I’ve made this dish two times now – and it’s so lovely. Even hubby loves it, even though he’s quite skeptical with all og my “strange low-carb-food”!
I like it so much, that I had to share the recipe with a post on my blog. (It’s written in danish, though..)
There is – of course – links to your blog and the recipe. Thanks for wonderful inspiration :)
What if you are sensitive to spices I usually stay away from recipes with some of those ingredients can you substitute something else?
Hi Sylvia – the spicy component in this dish is the chipotle – you can omit it or reduce it, but it will definitely alter the flavor so be aware of that. It will be more like an even cheesier version of my better than potatoes cheesy cauliflower puree – which sounds good to me! :)
Any suggestions for pairing for my vegetarian diabetic daughter. This seems like a dip but corn chips are obviously out of the question.
The puree should be really thick so it’s not really that dip-like, I eat it with a fork and it’s very satisfying. However, if you want to dip it, you could certainly use celery sticks or flax crackers.
GAH!! I love cauliflower! And cauliflower casseroles make me very, very happy. Throw in some cheese and chipotle? I just died. I am dead.
Just checked for your answer before I threw stuff in the processor! Thanks so much, Mellissa — I cannot WAIT for dinner! I’ve been craving Mexican, and this is the cure! Plus I’m going to use that roasted salsa verde you turned me onto — that stuff is addictive!
What do I do with the chipotles and garlic powder? Do i add them before putting into the food processor or after? I’m hungry, so I’ll wing it, but I’d like to know if the chipotles are meant to be pulverized or not!
Thanks for catching that Mary, so sorry! I fixed the recipe – it should have read that you add the chipotles and garlic powder to the cauli before you puree it. Hope you were able to figure that out or that you’ll get this before you make it! Thanks and I hope you enjoy it!
When you say salsa verde, are you talking about that wonderful roasted stuff you told us about, from Walmart? Because that’s what I have and I’m going to use it and make this tonight unless you tell me otherwise!
Hi Mary, I used the herndez brand this time because I didn’t have any more of the roasted one – but if you have it, definitely use it for an even better flavor!!!
This combination of flavors also got me to thinking that a jalapeño popper inspired version would also probably be heavenly! I plan to try both versions, chipotle and jalapeño!
Thank you again, Mellissa!
Am I missing the baking temperature?
Thanks for catching that Jan! I updated the recipe – it’s 375 degrees (F)!
What do you do if you don’t have a microwave? Any toaster oven options? Thanks!
You can steam the cauli and then bake the casserole in a toaster oven I guess – whatever melts the cheese will work!
Love the alternative name! I am saving the recipe under Nacho Mama’s Cauliflower Casserole. Cauliflower exacerbates my gout, but I think a little discomfort is worth it in this case!
This looks delicious and I, like Mr. Hungry, am not big on cauliflower. I will def give this one a try!
P.S. Nacho Mama’s is a Magazine Street restaurant in New Orleans!
at what temp do you cook the casserole?
375 F sorry about that!
Why no meat? Should be easy enough to brown up some taco meat and throw it on top, right?
Absolutely Jess – this can easily be a main dish. I was thinking it would be nice to serve it with some fajita style chicken or beef with some onions and peppers. But taco meat would also work awesome. Or chorizo – YUM! :)
This is right up my alley, Mellissa. Can’t wait to try this out!
Thanks, hope you like it! :)
I am a bit chipotle obsessed (it pretty much goes in everything I make) so this is right up my alley!! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
If you love chipotle then I think you’ll love this dish Danielle! I’m a huge fan of chipotle already, but the combination of chipotle and cauliflower is downright magical!!!!
YUMM!!! Made this tonight!!! Soo good! Hubby says his favorite cauliflower purée ever!
So glad Danielle, thanks for letting me know! :)
This is low carb food love at its best! That CHEESE!! :)
Oh my goodness…I’m making this as soon as possible! You don’t have to be following a low-carb or gluten free diet to love this recipe!