Yes, I make everything with cauliflower. Including casseroles.
You don’t need to worry until the day I made ice cream with it. Then you’ll know I’ve gone off the deep end.
With autumn in the air, I’m craving heartier and richer veggie dishes. I grew up on creamy chicken-and-veggie-bakes, which feel like comfort food to me. These casseroles of my childhood always contained cheese and sour cream, which I’ve since eliminated from my diet.
I set out to make a veggie-based casserole without the dairy, but with a creamy sauce and crispy topping. This is not a main-dish casserole, but it makes a hearty accompaniment to a roast chicken or another protein source. I do have a main-dish casserole recipe coming soon.
About the ingredients in this Paleo Cauliflower Casserole
Button mushrooms thicken the dairy-free sauce and add umami flavor. If you have other mild-flavored mushrooms on hand, feel free to use those.
Paleo mayonnaise takes the place of cheese in this dairy-free casserole. I encourage you to use an avocado oil based mayo, like this one, because the vegetable oils used in standard mayonnaise is inflammatory.
Canned, full-fat coconut milk is part of the non-dairy sauce. You could likely use a lighter, unsweetened non-dairy milk in place of the coconut milk, but the casserole will not be as rich.
Herbamare, available here, is my go-to seasoning salt, featuring unrefined sea salt and dried herbs. It is worth getting, although you could substitute 1/2 tsp. plain unrefined salt. I use Herbamare on my veggies, meats, and seafood. It’s also delicious on quinoa and rice.
Plantain chips provide a crispy, grain-free topping. You could also used crushed coconut-oil cooked potato chips, if you wish.
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- 1 large or 2 small heads cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 Tbs. ghee
- 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise made with healthy oil, such as this one
- ⅓ cup full-fat coconut milk (you could likely substitute any other non-dairy milk)
- ¾ tsp. Herbamare seasoning salt, available here
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 3 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
- 3 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
- ½ package Inca Plantain Chips, available here
- Olive oil
- Steam the cauliflower until tender but not mushy, about 7 minutes. Drain and put the cauliflower into a 9" casserole dish.
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- In a saute pan over medium head, cook the onion in the ghee until slightly softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to help soften the vegetables while cooking.
- Once cooked, put the mushrooms/onions in a blender (I recommend this affordable alternative to Vitamix) with the mayonnaise and coconut milk. Add the Herbamare, Dijon, dill and chives. Blend until creamy.
- In the casserole dish, combine the creamy sauce with the cauliflower.
- You can eyeball the measurement for the plantain crackers -- I use about ½ a package. In a zip-top bag, crush the crackers with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Sprinkle the crushed crackers over the casserole, then drizzle lightly with olive oil (about a tablespoon). This helps the topping brown.
- Bake until bubbling and the topping is golden, about 15 - 20 minutes.
I have made frozen desserts with pureed cauliflower. It’s a great base for any flavor.
I’ve tried a cheesecake recipe with cauliflower as a base! I agree, it provided a creamy and neutral base. If you point me to a cauliflower ice cream recipe, I’ll try it!
Where does the dill and green Onion come into play? They are not involved in the instructions. In the oven right now 😉
That’s my mistake! They’re added to the sauce before baking and I clarified that in the recipe. But you can sprinkle the herbs on top of the casserole as garnish before serving.
yes, cauliflower ice cream might be a bit far, but love this cauliflower recipe, how creative to use plantain chips! Nice texture contrast to the rest, thank you for this recipe
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Once again, homerun!!!!!! Super enjoyed this recipe for dinner tonite. Other than adding green pepper, I followed the recipe. Thanks Lauren. This recipe will definitely be added to my regular rotation. Super Good.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Mary!