Cheesy Bacon "Potato" Bake

This bake is the most luscious, cheesy, flavorful way i've ever eaten cauliflower! I have always liked cauliflower prepared in any way, but this dish blew me away. A good friend who HATES cauliflower stopped by and had two big servings! It is a great side dish to chicken or steak and it's good enough for company. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 medium head of cauliflower, cleaned and separated into florets
5 slices of thick cut bacon cooked and crumbled
3 green onions including green tops, sliced finely
4 oz cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used Daisy)
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
paprika to sprinkle on top, optional but adds a pretty color



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large pot with half a cup of water, steam cauliflower until tender (about 15 minutes) Turn off the heat.
3. This is a very important step please don't skip it! Drain the cauliflower and add back to the hot pot. There will still be residual heat on the pot and that heat will help dry the excess moisture from the cauliflower. Mash the cauliflower roughly. It's better if it's not completely smooth.
4. Add the cream cheese to the cauliflower and stir until completely combined. Add the sour cream, green onion, bacon, and extra sharp cheddar. Mix until completely combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the mashed cauliflower to an oven safe pan. And top with paprika.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until it is hot and bubbly. Serve.


This recipe yields 6 servings each with 3.1 Net carbs.

I used fresh cauliflower for this recipe because I prefer the taste and texture. But you could use frozen if you wish.

This bake would be fantastic with chopped ham instead of bacon.

I think the extra sharp cheddar makes a huge difference to the quality and flavor of this recipe.

This dish would also be great as a main dish!