Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin (Video)
Ham and Cauliflower Casserole Au Gratin is definitely a treat for low-carb comfort food and this is one of my personal favorite casseroles!
PIN Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin to try it later!
I created this Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin on a January day a few years back when I wanted some low-carb comfort food. I had ham and cauliflower in the fridge, and thoughts of Twice Baked Cauliflower gave me the idea for this casserole with lots of cauliflower combined with ham, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, Parmesan, green onion, and cheese. I’d love this as a delicious low-carb dinner for a cold winter night!
Of course I had to include this one when I updated my collection of Low-Carb and Keto Casseroles recipes. There’s not much I don’t love about low-carb casseroles, but one of the biggest reasons I love to make them is the way they guarantee leftovers.
And most low-carb casseroles also freeze well, including this one, and how I love to pull dinner out of the freezer when I don’t want to cook! (You can use the category for Can Freeze to find more dishes that freeze well.)
This low-carb casserole with ham and cauliflower has been wildly popular on the blog; hope you enjoy trying it if you haven’t made this one yet!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- raw cauliflower
- salt (for water to cook cauliflower)
- diced ham
- cream cheese
- Greek yogurt
- finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- green onions
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- grated cheddar cheese
What kind of ham should you use for this casserole?
If you want this recipe to be Keto, be sure to choose a ham without added sugar. I use thick ham steaks from Costco, but thick sliced deli ham, and cut up cubes from a whole ham will also work.
Can you make this recipe with frozen cauliflower?
I’ll be honest and say I am not much of a fan of frozen vegetables, and I’d prefer freshly-cooked cauliflower for this. But there are some comments on this post from people who have made it with frozen cauliflower and reported back that it worked well. Whichever you use, I would be sure the cauliflower is well-drained before you assemble the casserole.
What if you’re not a fan of Greek Yogurt?
If you don’t like the tangy flavor of Greek Yogurt I would use sour cream for this recipe.
Want more low-carb casseroles with cauliflower?
Check out Low-Carb and Keto Cauliflower Casseroles for lots more ideas for tasty dinners with cauliflower, including a few cauliflower casseroles from my food blogging friends.
How to Make Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin:
(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- You need at least 6 cups of cauliflower, cut into small pieces.
- Cook the cauliflower in boiling salted water until it’s just getting soft; don’t overcook.
- Drain the cooked cauliflower well (at least 5 minutes).
- While the cauliflower cooks, cut up two cups of ham.
- Soften cream cheese in the microwave for a minute or so, then mix in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream), Parmesan, and sliced green onions.
- Mash the cauliflower slightly (in the pan you cooked it in) then stir in the sauce mixture so it’s completely mixed with the cauliflower and gently mix in the ham.
- Season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper.
- Spray the baking dish with nonstick spray or olive oil, put the casserole mixture in in the dish, and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and starting to brown and the mixture is hot throughout and starting to slightly bubble.
- Let sit about 10 minutes for any liquid in the dish to be absorbed, then serve hot and enjoy! This will keep in the fridge for a few days and reheats well.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin would taste great with Peperoncini Chopped Salad, American Greek Salad, or Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad, Spring Mix Salad, or Kalyn’s Low-Carb Coleslaw for a low-carb meal.
More Tasty Low-Carb Dinners with Cauliflower:
- Roasted Cauliflower with Red Bell Pepper, Green Olives, and Pine Nuts
- Cheesy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon and Green Chiles
- Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
- Chicken Broccoli Curry Casserole with Cauliflower Rice
- Cauliflower Rice Sausage Casserole
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin
This Low-Carb Ham and Cauliflower Casserole Au Gratin is definitely a treat for low-carb and Keto comfort food.
Ingredients
- 6 cups raw cauliflower flowerets, cut fairly small
- 1/2 tsp. salt (for water to cook cauliflower)
- 2 cups diced ham
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (see notes)
- 2 T finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Fill a medium-sized pot half full with water, add 1/2 tsp. salt, and start to bring to a boil.
- Cut up the cauliflower into small flowerets, discarding the leaves and core.
- Put cauliflower pieces into the water and cook at a low boil until the cauliflower is starting to get barely sort. Check it often and don't overcook; the cauliflower will soften more in the oven.
- While cauliflower is cooking, cut the ham into very small cubes and slice green onions.
- Put cream cheese into a glass dish or measuring cup and soften it in the microwave for a few minutes. (Or you can soften it on top of the pre-heating oven if you don't have a microwave.) When cream cheese is soft stir in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream), Parmesan, and sliced green onions.
- When cauliflower is cooked enough to start to soften, pour into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain well (at least 5 minutes; don't rush this step)
- Put the drained cauliflower back into the pot you cooked it in and mash with a potato masher until it's barely mashed with quite a few chunks left.
- Stir in the sauce mixture and combine well with the cauliflower; then gently mix in the diced ham.
- Season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper. (I didn't use salt because the ham and the Parmesan are both salty.)
- Spray glass or crockery casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. (I used a glass casserole dish that was about 8" x 10".) Pour cauliflower mixture into the dish, spread out evenly, and sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and all the mixture is hot throughout and starting to bubble. Let sit 10 minutes for any liquid to be absorbed, then serve hot.
- I am assuming that this freezes well, but I still haven't tried freezing it because I never have any leftovers.
Notes
You can also use sour cream if you're not a Greek yogurt fan; yogurt has just slightly fewer carbs. Definitely use more cheese if you'd like!
This recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from Twice Baked Cauliflower.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 238Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 855mgCarbohydrates: 7.7gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 20g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Ham and Cauliflower Casserole Au Gratin as shown would be suitable for low-carb or Keto diets. If you’re wanting it to be suitable for the South Beach Diet they would recommend lean ham, reduced-fat cream cheese, fat-free Greek yogurt, and low-fat cheese.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This tasty casserole with ham and cauliflower was first posted in 2012. It was updated with better photos in 2017 and was last updated with more information in 2023.
174 Comments on “Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin (Video)”
This is delicious and I’ve made it many times. It’s pretty versatile and easy to customize to your liking. I use a bag of frozen cauliflower rice and I have subbed the cream cheese for Velveeta (for my hubby) and sometimes use light sour cream instead of the yogurt. I’ve also added coarse bread crumbs to the top or french fried onions. Any way I make this, Including the original version, is always delicious!
I’m so happy to hear you have been enjoying it! And how fun hearing how creative you have been with adapting the recipe.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this. Most times I just use frozen cauliflower, and I always leave out the ham to use it as a side dish – often for ham! It’s a great low carb and delicious side dish I’ll eat a few nights while my teenagers eat their noodles.
As a side note, last time I had a little left over inside cheese mixture and it made a luscious filler cold for mini peppers. I might accidentally have leftovers every time!
SO happy to hear you have enjoyed it so much, and thanks for all the ideas for variations too.
I don’t want to go to all the effort to mash the cauli. But I’d like to speed up recipe. Any ideas?
I’m on vacation so I just saw your comment. I don’t have any ideas except maybe cutting the cauliflower into even smaller pieces.
I write the recipes with the methods I think will give the best flavor and texture. But you are always free to adapt!
Very good. Love the tanginess of the greek yogurt. We will be making again.
So glad you enjoyed!
We love this casserole, I have also made it with steamed sliced summer squash and chopped sweet onion and then stirred in a little bleu cheese dressing and topped with Vermont sharp white cheddar.
So glad you are enjoying it. And I love hearing about your variations!
I made this for the second time and my 5-year-old loved it, and he’s SUPER picky (if it isn’t in nugget form or a sandwich, he’ll pass…) My tweaks to the recipe include adding heavy cream to the cream cheese mix to make it pourable (it’s too thick to even attempt to pour, but I might not be softening the cream cheese enough?) and adding ranch seasoning mix, which makes it AMAZING. Absolutely love this recipe, can’t thank you enough!
So glad you and the family are enjoying it! Fun hearing how you switched it up a bit.
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He was very surprised that he liked it since it was cauliflower based. I used two-12oz bags of frozen cauliflower florets steamed well in the microwave (no salt) and mashed them fairly well. I also used 2 single serve containers of Chobani yogurt. This was absolutely delicious and we’ll definitely have it again when we have extra ham. Thank you so much for the tasty recipe!!
So glad you liked it, and good to know it worked well with frozen cauliflower too! Thanks for taking time to tell me.
THIS WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YUMMY! Thank you! will be saving in my dinner recipe collection! I just shared it with 3 others 🙂
So glad you liked it!
We made this today! We used diced pancetta because I didn’t have ham nor did I have the desire to cook ham! However- this was DELICIOUS! My husband told me to save this recipe which he only says if he really loves it. Thank for for a new staple in our kitchen!
So glad you liked it and I think pancetta sounds amazing in this!
Tried it.. liked it.. I added a can of peas too!
Thats a fun idea; so glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious.. It’s been one of the best things I’ve made since being on the keto diet
So glad you enjoyed!
Looks yummy! I’m not a fan of the tang of cream cheese, could you sub it with something else?
You probably can if you can think of a mild creamy cheese that’s also kind of thick like cream cheese is. I’m afraid I’m not thinking of anything though. Maybe just using a more regular grated cheese would work; love to hear what you come up with if you experiment!
Although more expensive, Mascarpone usually works as a good substitute for cream cheese, and doesn’t have the “tang”.
Yes, I think that’s a good suggestion.
How about a couple of triangles of Laughing Cow?
Yes, that might be good in this!
Bet you could use some Boursin cheese or even a creamy goat cheese. Think the feta, tomato, pasta video that was so popular. 😊
Boursin would be great!