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Home » Casseroles » Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

March 27, 2014 by Melissa 6 Comments

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This Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower is an over-the-top cauliflower side dish. It’s filled with bacon, green onion and a a creamy cheese sauce much like a loaded baked potato minus the carbs. It’s certain to delight everyone at you family dinner table.

Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

Cauliflower Is a Rockstar Side Dish

Cauliflower is such a versatile and often under-used vegetable. Long gone are the days when it’s served steamed and devoid of any taste at all.  At our house, I can’t think of enough ways to use it. We love it raw in salads, sauteed, roasted, curried, breaded, turned into a gratin as well as this fully casserole reminiscent of a twice baked potato.
Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

Tips for Making Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

I can’t think of a single way that I don’t enjoy cauliflower.This smashed cauliflower is one of the dishes I refer to as “company worthy.” Easy enough for a weekday but special enough to serve guests. To save time, grate the cheese, slice the onion and prepare the bacon then you’ll have ingredients ready for assembling. In fact, this entire dish can be assembled in advance and chilled then baked when you’re ready to eat. I like to sprinkle the top with crushed fried onions but, this is truly optional if you want to keep this dish as low carb as possible. If you’d like to spice things up, checkout this recipe for Curried Red Pepper and Pickled Cauliflower from Noshing with the Nolands.

Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

 

Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

 

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

  • Baking Dish Set
  • Rotary Cheese Grater
  • Potato Masher
  • Mixing Bowls

 


Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower
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Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fully-loaded-smashed-cauliflower
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 2 lb cauliflower florets steamed [See Cook's notes]
  • 8 oz whipped cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 4 Tbsp butter melted
  • 1 0.4 oz package dry buttermilk ranch dressing mix
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6-8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 4 green onions thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese divided
  • 1/3 cup crushed garlic-pepper french fried onions optional [i.e. Fresh Gourmet]

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. Steam the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain well.
  • Place into a medium-size mixing bowl. Use a fork to chunky smash the steamed cauliflower. Add the whipped cream cheese, sour cream, melted butter, dry buttermilk ranch, black pepper, Parmesan cheese, bacon crumbles, green onions, and 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Mix until fully combined.
  • Pour into the baking dish. [Reserve 3 Tbsp bacon crumbles and green onions for the top]
  • Sprinkle the top with 1 cup of shredded Colby-Jack cheese and a few bacon crumbles. Top with french fried onions, if desired.
  • Bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.
  • Garnish with reserved sliced green onions.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

a) This dish works well with low fat dairy products.
b) 2 lb cauliflower florets would be approximately equal to 2 heads of cauliflower, stems removed.
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

Fully Loaded Smashed Cauliflower

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Hi, thanks for stopping by to visit my website My name is Melissa, I’m a busy Mom, author, recipe developer, photographer, food writer and blogger. I’m passionate about creating delicious dishes to share with family and friends!
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Filed Under: Casseroles, Sumptuous Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: bacon, cauliflower casserole, cheddar cheese, cheese, green onion, loaded cauliflower casserole, smashed cauliflower

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Comments

  1. Arthur in the Garden! says

    March 28, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    Yummy!

    Reply
  2. Melissa says

    March 28, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Kari La Mee says

    March 29, 2014 at 2:25 am

    OH YUM! My family has fresh veggies with dip every Thanksgiving & Christmas. Broccoli and Cauliflower are a must and my favorites. I’ve been looking for new ways to make Cauliflower for my sister who’s Diabetic.
    Thanks so much,
    Kari

    Reply
  4. Melissa says

    March 29, 2014 at 2:11 pm

    I love it, too, so happy you found some new ideas!

    Reply
  5. Marie says

    April 3, 2018 at 10:03 am

    Your recipes all look so good but I can’t print them out. Something is blocking them???

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      April 3, 2018 at 12:32 pm

      The print function is functional so, not on my end there’s no issue.

      Reply

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hello,my name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.

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