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My guys will eat almost anything as long as it has a good sauce to go with it, and this cauliflower casserole I adapted from Cooking Light is more proof of that. They don’t like cauliflower, and though they’ve done pretty well with occasional roasted cauliflower, they don’t ask for this white vegetable.
But Italian sauce…they love lots of Italian sauce on just about anything. Even cauliflower.
So I tried it. I bought big heads of cauliflower and brought them home, proudly displayed them on the kitchen island, and said we were having them for dinner. Michael gave me the side eye and said he would try it. A little while later as he worked in his office, he shouted out to me, “Something smells good!” That was the sauce. I quickly steamed the cauliflower, put it in the baking dish and poured sauce all over it, then gave it a few sprinkles of Grana Padano cheese. Five minutes under the broiler, and it was ready.
I admit I held my breath while Michael tasted it. He waved his arms around and said how delicious it was, and commented that the cauliflower didn’t have the noxious sulfur taste that it can get when overcooked. The boys ate all of their cauliflower at dinner and asked if we could have this again.
Mom win!
📖 Recipe
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Cauliflower Casserole with Italian Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Vegetable
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: cauliflower, gluten free, parmesan cheese, pasta sauce, vegetarian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 104kcal
Author: Andrea Meyers
Equipment
large skillet
6 quart pot with lid
9x13-inch baking dish, coated with olive oil
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ounces pitted kalamata olives (coarsely chopped)
- 1½ pounds cauliflower (cut into florets)
- ¼ cup grated fresh Grana Padano cheese ( or Parmigiano cheese, or vegan alternative)
US Customary - Metric
Preparation
Heat the large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and onion, and sauté until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the sauce, salt, peppers, and olives.
Preheat the broiler.
Steam the cauliflower florets in the 6-quart pot until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and put it in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle on the cheese.
Broil until the cheese is soft and browned, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
The original recipe includes sirloin steak, which is very tasty. You can use cannellini beans to make this a vegetarian dish.
The original recipe uses bread crumbs in the topping. To make it gluten-free for me, I skip the bread crumbs and serve hearty Italian bread on the side for the family.
For a time saver, you can use 1 pound of frozen cauliflower florets.
Nutrition
Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 967mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!
More Easy Recipes
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More Cauliflower Recipes From Other Blogs
- An Edible Mosaic – Green Pea, Baby Potato, and Cauliflower Curry
- Connoisseurus Veg – Roasted Cauliflower Tikka
- Apples & Sparkle – Crispy Italian Cauliflower Poppers with Marinara
- The Wicked Noodle – Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
[Disclosure: I am a member of the Cooking Light Bloggers' Connection.]
More Vegetables
- Middle Eastern Eggplant and Tomato Salad
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream
- Sautéed Green Beans with Spice-Glazed Pecans
- How to Make Tomatillo Puree
Reader Interactions
Comments
KalynsKitchen says
Great idea, love it!
Reply
Andrea says
Hi Kalyn! Thanks, all four of my guys really enjoyed this.
Reply
KalynsKitchen says
Hi Andrea. Coming back to let you know that I featured this recipe in my round-up of 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes from September 2014. Hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try the recipe!
Reply
Andrea says
Thanks so much Kalyn! I will check out all the others in the round-up.
Reply
Yvonne says
Andrea,
This cauliflower casserole was delicious. I roasted my cauliflower instead of blanching, and added some leftover chicken I needed to use up. A one dish meal.
Thank you for this recipe. It will be made again, a definite favourite
Reply
Andrea says
Excellent! Always happy to hear when a dish is a hit for other families. 🙂
Reply
Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says
This looks amazing! I love how versatile cauliflower is and this recipe is the perfect example...sort-of like a much healthier version of baked pasta! And thank you so much for the link love!
Reply
