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)”
Amazing!
how much is a serving?
I don’t measure out how much a serving is when I make the recipe, so other than telling you it’s 1/6 of the finished dish, I can’t really answer that.
Can we use cauliflower rice?
I haven’t tried it that way. It will definitely change the texture, but I think it might still be good. You might want to look through the comments and see if anyone talks about doing that. And if you try it, I’d love to hear how it works!
I have used cauliflower rice and it is still delicious!
Did you cook the cauliflower rice first or thaw it out if frozen?
This is a delicious and easy dish to make! I’ve made it twice this week already. I added some French’s Crispy Fried Onions on top which creates a nice savory crunch.
So glad you are enjoying it!
Oh my goodness!! Was this ever good!! This is definitely going into my favorites file. My husband and I both thought this was a home run. I cooked the cauliflower in my instant pot and then put it into the oven to bake. I then broiled it for about 5-6 minutes.
AH-MAZING. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Looks wonderful – especially as not only do I like recipe as written, but it will amend beautifully for what I want this weekend – subbing in shredded or diced chicken for the ham plus our own home-cured bacon made without any sugars.
That sounds like a tasty variation; hope you enjoy!
Just went searching for a recipe to use up all this leftover Christmas ham, and yours was the first (delicious looking) one that popped up. Headed into the kitchen now! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
My pleasure Dana, hope you enjoy it!
Kids loved it. very good and easy recipe, i tried it last night
Glad you liked it!
Really good. Hubby kept saying ‘this is really good’ and even went back for seconds. Thanks for the good recipe. (No macros/nutritional info needed, lol ) 😉
Glad you liked it! And I am FINALLY starting to add nutritional info, yaay. But happy when people don’t mind not having it.
I’ve just come across this recipe and want to thank you, I’m excited to make this as part of meal prep tomorrow! I also want to say that I’m sorry for the constant comments you get asking for nutritional information… I see this on every blog, and I wish that people realized that different brands can vary widely in nutritional values. I never use the values given on recipe posts and figure it out based on the individual ingredients I use. This is something we all should be accountable for, and realize that the macros can vary drastically with different brands. Thanks again for all the hard work you do to offer us these free recipes… it’s much appreciated!!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that attitude!
I wish there was an easy way for me to make that happen. This post talks about my efforts after I switched my blog from Blogger to WordPress and had to edit 2,000+ recipes. I am planning to add nutritional information, but not until the editing project is done.
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. That’s all I am able to do at this time.
Thank you for the information on the Nutrition Analyzer.
This was so good, and so easy to use with a giant bag of frozen cauliflower and leftover ham from this week. Perfect for a busy night when we’re going in different directions–I made it and left and people could eat it when it was ready and I had it reheated when I got home. Thank you!!!
Hi Tina,
So glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it!
What kind of side dish do you suggest with this for dinner?
I edited the post and added some suggestions where it says “Make it a Meal.” Hope you enjoy!
We love this so much!!! It is going to be hot today to turn the oven on. Do you think this would work in the Crock-Pot? I was thinking the 4-Hour setting would be fine for my schedule.
I was at the doctor and just saw this, so maybe you already started it. But yes, I do think that might work. The slow cooker generally releases more water in foods, that’s the only thing I wonder about. Let me know how it works if you do end up trying it!
Could you use cauliflower rice for this?
I can’t say for sure how it will work because I haven’t made it that way. I think it might be good but it will definitely be a different result than using bigger pieces of cauliflower. I worry about it getting mushy with cauliflower rice, but as I said I can’t say for sure how it will work. If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think.
Thank you for answering my question. I’ll look at the other recipe you suggested.
Kaylee, I am starting a low carb diet, not keto, i just want to eat better. I am looking forward to trying your recipes. Do you have a cook book published anywhere?.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Hi Jackie Ann. I’m a retired teacher who now works 6-8 hours a day on my two websites, so I have no desire to write a cookbook! I do get offers, but turn them all down so I can have some fun in my retirement years!
Can I sub in zucchini instead of cauliflower?
The cooking time for zucchini is much shorter than cauliflower, so definitely you couldn’t just sub in zucchini for the cauliflower in this recipe and get a good result. You may be able to make something similar with zucchini, ham, and cheese, but I do find that zucchini can be watery in casseroles if it’s cooked for a very long time. I haven’t ever tried anything similar to this with zucchini, so I’m not able to tell you exactly how to adapt it, sorry.
You might like this popular zucchini recipe on the blog and possibly this might work with some diced ham added. Let me know if you try an experiment that works!
It is delicious!! Thanks for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I just want to let you know that this is one of my favorite recipes!! My humans I are enjoying it again tonight.
Thank You, Ruth Pacelli
SO happy to hear that, thanks for taking time to let me know you’re enjoying it!
This was delicious! For a minute I actually thought I was eating potatoes.
Glad you enjoyed it!