Green Chile Cauliflower Casserole
Green Chile Keto Cauliflower Casserole is a low carb remake of an old family favorite. Cauliflower rice baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce studded with green chiles and topped with gooey cheese…it’s Texas comfort food at it’s finest. Quick, easy and great for weekly meal prep!
Hi ya’ll…my name is Emilie from the food blog Tales of a Texas Granola Girl where I share gluten-free and low-carb recipes inspired by my Texas upbringing. I believe amazing, satisfying food doesn’t have to be filled with sugar, grains or preservatives and healthy food doesn’t have to be boring and bland! These days I live on a Ranch out in the middle of nowhere Texas, home-school my girls, raise animals, cook for Ranch guests and specialize in creating delicious recipes that are 100% gluten free, low carb and keto and always kid and Cowboy approved! You can find me at www.texasgranolagirl.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/texasgranolagirl/.
I’m so excited that Taryn invited me to Guest Post on Joy Filled Eats! I am thrilled to share this simple and scrumptious Green Chile Cauliflower Rice Casserole, inspired by one of my all-time favorite family dishes!
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Keto Cauliflower Casserole = Comfort food
One of my favorite things to do is to take my favorite childhood comfort food recipes and “de-carb” them! We all have those dishes that evoke “food memories” …sometimes for me, it’s just the aroma that does it! Well, just because we are living a low-carb or keto lifestyle shouldn’t mean that we miss out on all those amazing flavors from our past!
Green Chile Cauliflower Casserole was inspired by one of my favorite special occasion dishes. I remember it was always on the table at Christmas and other holiday dinners…or at least I hoped it was! It’s funny…I’m not quite sure why it was reserved mostly for special occasions because it is so easy to make…probably because it is rich and decadent and those dishes in our house were always reserved for holidays! The version from my childhood had white rice as the main ingredient so I switched it up with some cauliflower rice, made a few other modifications and I have to say this low carb version is even better than the original…sorry, mom!
Cauliflower rice in cauliflower casserole?
As you now know, I live on a ranch out in the middle of Texas with my husband, the Cowboy, and my two girls. We are about 45 minutes away from the nearest store, so we stock up on groceries when we go to town! While I love fresh veggies, they don’t seem to stay fresh for too long, so to save time and money, I stock up on certain frozen veggies and cauliflower rice is one that we always have on hand! I try to load up when it goes on sale, so we always have it around for a quick side option or to use in our favorite recipes. My daughter Maddie and I are the low carbers around here and we love the versatility of cauliflower rice and use it all the time, for anything from pizzas to casseroles, like this amazing Green Chile Cauliflower Casserole!
One of my other favorite sides is GG’s Oil & Vinegar Coleslaw. And if you are looking for something to serve this with how about Chicken Verde Taco Bowls?
Cauliflower Side Dishes
Cauliflower rice baked in a cheesy, sour cream and green chili sauce and topped with more ooey, gooey melty cheese…sound delicious? IT IS! It’s all my favorite things …creamy, cheesy, decadent, comforting and so incredibly delicious. Served up aside a grilled steak, crispy chicken thighs or even your favorite pork chops, this Keto Cauliflower Casserole will quickly become a favorite side in your weekly meal rotation. It takes minutes to put together and can be made ahead of time, so it can easily be used for meal prep as well! It’s Texas comfort food at it’s finest!
Make this into an entree by adding some pre-cooked roast chicken from Just Meats. Check out my Just Meats Review to learn more.
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Green Chile Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 2 cups cauliflower rice
- 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 4 oz canned green chiles drained
- 1/2 cup sour cream full fat
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter or grease an 8x8 pan and set aside.
- If using frozen cauliflower rice, cook to package directions, usually about 3 minutes. If using fresh cauliflower rice, steam for 3-4 minutes on the stove-top or in the microwave until slightly tender. Take the steamed cauliflower rice and squeeze or press between paper towels to remove the excess moisture and set aside. You want the rice to be fairly dry so your dish isn’t watery!
- Melt butter in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Add celery and onions. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Turn down heat to medium and add cream to the pan and stir constantly and reduce by half, until thick and creamy and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine cauliflower rice, ½ cup of each cheese, chiles, sour cream, veggie mixture and seasonings and stir till incorporated. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly…Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Third time making this today; didn’t have celery so added some cooked broccoli. Might add some linguica, bacon or chicken sometime. Good to serve with tomato, red onion, spinach and avocado salad (plus any other veges you want in it.) Your recipe is great and is a regular in my meal planning. Thanks for your good works!
I’m a little confused with the instructions, what do you mean by “reduce by half”?
You cook the sauce until it thickens naturally by some of it evaporating. You end up with about half the amount you started with.
This sounds and looks awesome; can’t wait to try it. I have one question…Does it freeze well 🙂
I have not frozen this before. It should freeze ok though, most cauliflower dishes do.
One bite and I exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, this is so good!” Thank you for sharing the recipe.
When I put 2 cups of frozen cauliflower rice, it cooks down quite a bit. Should I cook first and then measure? And if so what would the frozen amount be?
I’d start with 3 to 4 cups frozen.
I omitted the 5 star rating!
What? 🤔 🙄
Tried this tonight and it’s delicious! I will be adding this on a regular rotation as well along with some of the suggestions from the other ladies. Thank you so much for sharing your recipie.
I didn’t have Monterey Jack on hand so I used sharp cheddar and white black pepper cheddar. Absolutely delicious. Only added 1/2 salt and glad of it. With the canned chilies and cheeses, it doesn’t need much added salt. I will be making again.
This is my new favorite recipe! Just as written…it is fabulous. I served it for breakfast with a poached egg on top. I’ve made this many times since, and I’ve even tweaked it from time to time. I’ve made it with riced cauliflower and with florets. Either way tastes just as yummy. I’ve omitted the butter and cream, and used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Not as decadent, but lighter and still delicious. I’ve even added cooked turkey sausage and threw it all in the crock pot. This is a never fail recipe, and one of our new regulars. Thanks a bunch!
Absolutely awesome! Added a cooked chicken breast and served as an entree. Prep time took more than 10 minutes though with chopping onions/celery and grating two kinds of cheese. Will definitely make again.
Made this tonight and even my cauliflower hating husband loved it! Added shredded chicken, halved the butter, & subbed non-fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream and half & half for the heavy cream, and it still turned out creamy and delicious. Definitely going into the weekly rotation!
This is SO good!! I added some Italian sausage and bacon. Deliciousness!! Will be on our perminate breakfast menu. Thank you for sharing this dish!!
Does it taste like cauliflower?
Slightly. I have sensitive taste buds and get a hint of cauliflower but it’s much less than other cauliflower/ potato recipes.
I made this and fell in love! However my dish didn’t have the splash of green on top. Did you add a garnish or are those the green chiles sticking out?
Thanks!
It was delicious! It is nice to have a cauliflower dish that has a different flavor. Thank you for this tasty recipe.
I am excited to try this! I will let you know how it turns out!
I’m thinking of adding a few eggs (4?), like my Chili Relleno casserole recipe has.
Sure! Then you could cut squares. Let me know how it turns out 😀
Did it turn out ok with the eggs?
I’ve added whisked eggs, canned poblano peppers, and cayenne pepper. It’s delicious. Can be sliced into squares, just as mentioned.
Hey Taryn,
I asked a couple of days ago if roasting the cauliflower would work. It was so good! Roasted with olive oil, garlic powder and s/p. Roasted till a little brown.
My family said it was a redo!!!!😋
Thanks for a great recipe.
Barb
Do you think roasting the cauliflower or sautéing it instead of steaming it would work.?
Like the flavour of roasted cauliflower.
Thanks Barb
Sure!
I would actually like to try this recipe with some rice in it due to dietary needs. Could you help with that? I know how rice (even cooked) has a tendency to absorb liquid. Thank you.
Hi Kathy, I am not an expert at using rice in casseroles, sorry! I’d probably just use cooked rice and add a splash of chicken broth.