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Loaded Cauliflower is one of those keto community recipes like Egg Loaf that I kept seeing all over Instagram. I decided to share this because most of the recipes were, well, exclusively on Instagram, making it hard to figure out where they were when you need them. I paired this dish with Ranch Spiced Steak for a quick, keto-friendly meal.
What is Loaded Cauliflower?
Loaded Cauliflower is a low carb and keto-friendly substitute for Loaded Potatoes. It includes all of the traditional flavors of Loaded Potatoes like sour cream, cheese, green onions, and bacon. The only difference is that you swap the potatoes with cauliflower florets.
This recipe makes 7 servings.
Does it matter if you roast or steam the cauliflower?
One of the keys to this recipe is to cook the cauliflower before placing it into the cheese sauce. This ensures that the cauliflower cooks fully during the last round of baking.
Since sharing this recipe, a lot of people have asked about whether it’s ok to steam the cauliflower. You should steam the cauliflower if you’d like to cut down the pre-roasting times.
One tip would be to steam it so that it’s still pretty crunchy and blanched. This will allow the cauliflower to still have big chunky bites. If you steam the cauliflower more fully, then it might taste more like a loaded cauliflower mash, which is still delicious, just not what we were going for in this recipe.
Want to try some other keto & low carb cauliflower recipes?
If you enjoy cauliflower and are looking for more ways to incorporate this vegetable into your meals then check out my cauliflower rice risotto and these spicy cauliflower fritters!
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb cauliflower head cut into florets
- 6 green onions chopped into the green and white parts
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1.5 tsp Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix optional
- 3/4 cup Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
- 4 slices Sugar-free Bacon crumbled
- Olive Oil for roasting the cauliflower
- Dollops of sour cream optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
- Toss the cauliflower with ~2 tbsp of olive oil then add it to a baking sheet. Roast the cauliflower on a baking sheet for 25 minutes. The cauliflower will get tender and some parts will brown up.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, make the cheese sauce: Add butter, the white parts of the green onions, and the garlic cloves to a skillet on medium heat. Sauté until the onions are translucent (~3 minutes)
- Add heavy cream, cream cheese, salt, ranch seasoning (if you’re using it), and pepper to the skillet with the onions, garlic and butter. Turn the heat to medium low and continue to cook until the cream cheese is melted. Stir in 1.5 cups of the cheddar cheese to finish the cheese sauce.
- Mix the cheese sauce and the roasted cauliflower, then add it to a baking dish. Top it with the remaining cheddar cheese and roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
- Top the baked cauliflower, with some dollops of sour cream, the green parts of the green onions, and the crumbled bacon.
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