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)”
Wonder if this would be ok in a crock pot all day?
Truthfully I am not sure. I haven’t cooked anything like this in a crockpot. I wonder if it might be really watery, since the oven dries things out and the slow cooker creates more liquid. But if you are careful to drain the cauliflower really well it might work. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
I have this saved in Pinterest and it will NOT take me to the recipe, grrr, so aggravated!!! When I click on visit it takes me to just a large picture to pin. No recipe!! Please fix this. If anything happens to Pinterest I guess I lose my recipes!! This is a wonderful recipe! Takes some time to make it but worth it and no carbs. I always double it for a 9×13 pan.
Hi Deborah,
Unfortunately anybody can copy one of my pins, make a new pin with it, and link it to any site they want. There is no way for me to fix that or even find the pin. But if you pin from the link at the top of my post (where it says “Click here to PIN) that’s the pin I made and it will always link to my site.
Glad you have enjoyed the recipe!
Can you use frozen cauliflower in this?
I wouldn’t use frozen cauliflower, I worry that the casserole would be watery and the cauliflower too mushy since the frozen cauliflower is already partly cooked. But I know sometimes people do successfully use frozen vegetables in recipes where I’m skeptical it will work. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it.
Made this today and it is delicious!! Didnt change a thing other than I didnt add green onions. Will definitely make this again!
Thanks Jenny; so glad you enjoyed it!
Kalyn,
Would you consider using whipped cream cheese?
It might work, but I haven’t tried it so that’s only a guess.
Absolutely Delish!
So glad you liked it!
I have over 2000 recipes on the site and spend 6-8 hours most days working on the blog. I’m not able to provide nutritional information for the recipes for several reasons, including the additional time it takes, the difficulty in doing it accurately, and the sheer number of recipes on my site. If you look after the recipe itself, I give two links (where it says “Nutritional Information”) for suggestions of two ways to get that information.
I just can’t edit over 2,000 recipes to add that info, and I know once I do it on one recipe people will expect to see it on every recipe.
Can i replace the yogurt with sour cream?
Yes, I’m sure that would be fine.
What type of ham do most people find the best to use? Ham steak?
I always buy the ham steaks that come in a 3-pack at Costco, so I’m sure that’s what I used. But I think any kind of ham will work except for thinly sliced deli ham.
This casserole is absolutely DELICIOUS. It puts macaroni and cheese to shame!
So glad you liked it!
This tasted a lot like Mac N Cheese with Ham. I mean that in the best possible way. Delicious and simple to make.
I used the microwave to soften the cauliflower.
Glad you liked it! Very smart to use the microwave to cook the cauliflower if you’re short on time.
I steam my cauliflower instead to boiling in salted water.
Your choice of course! Be sure the cauliflower is drained well either way you cook it.
Love this recipe!! Have tried several times and my husband eats it up every time. One thing I tried with great results is sprinkling a small amount (1 – 2 TBLS.) of breadcrumbs on top before baking. I find I prefer roasted/baked Cauliflower to boiled – I can never get all the liquid out if I boil it!
Jacqueline, so glad to hear you’ve been enjoying it. I love roasted/baked cauliflower too!
Just made this today, it was AMAZING!!!!! I used good Cabot white cheddar, gruyere, and a terrific smoked ham. SO good, I’m already thinking about leftovers for lunch 😉
Glad you liked it!
Has anyone froze this before? I was wanting to make it into a freezer meal but I wasn’t sure if the cauliflower would be ok?
If you’re talking about a freezer meal where you freeze before baking, I have never tried that. But I’ve frozen the leftovers and that worked fine.
Hi, Kalyn. My husband loves cauliflower but hates mashed potatoes. Do you think this would work if I didn't mash the cauliflower? Several people have said this reminds them of a potato casserole. In my husband's case, that would be a negative. But he does love all the ingredients.
The cauliflower is barely mashed here, still quite a few big pieces of cauliflower, and I think it would be fine if you wanted to mash it even less than that too. Hope you enjoy!
Made this yesterday and even my picky eater gobbled it up. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
I tried this last night and it was Great! My husband even took some for lunch, which he's never done before with anything involving cauliflower. I did use Laughing Cow pepper jack cheese, yum. Tonight we are trying your ground beef and sauerkraut soup. Thanks so much for your blog, it's making phase one very easy and delicious!
So glad you are enjoying the recipes Lori! Love the idea of using pepper jack cheese.
I've been eating low carb for 4 years now and am running out of good recipes. This is THE BEST LOW CARB RECIPE ON THE PLANET. It completely satisfies that cold weather, cheesy, hot comfort food craving. I made it for my girlfriend who eats anything and everything under the sun loved it equally and couldn't believe it was low carb. Thank you for changing my life!!!! This will be my once a week go to.
That's pretty high praise! So glad you both enjoyed it.
Can you steam the cauliflower? Or will you not get the desired result?
That should work but be sure to drain VERY WELL or it will be watery!