Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

5 from 1 vote

Creamy, cheesy cauliflower casserole with bacon and green onions — an easy, crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving side perfect for making ahead!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cauliflower casserole with bacon, cauliflower casserole with cheese, cheesy cauliflower casserole

Servings: servings

Calories: 194kcal

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch cauliflower, 3 minutes. Drain well.
In a large skillet, melt butter. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then add flour and stir until golden.
Whisk in milk and bring to simmer.
Remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese. Once melted, stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add drained cauliflower to cheese mixture and stir.
Add in all but 1 tablespoon each cooked bacon and green onions until combined.
Add to a buttered 9x13 baking dish then top with remaining cheddar, bacon, and green onions.
Bake 30 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and cheese is melted.

Make sure the cauliflower is dry: Let the florets drain well. If they’re still holding onto a lot of water when you add them to the cheese mixture, the sauce will thin out.
Broil the top for extra crispiness: If you want the cheese on top of the casserole to get nicely browned, you can wait to add the bacon and green onions until after the casserole is done baking and then in the last 5 minutes of cooking time, turn on the broiler.
Let the casserole rest: Allowing the casserole to cool a few minutes before serving will give the sauce time to thicken a bit more.