Goat Cheese Whipped Cauliflower Casserole
This creamy, fluffy Whipped Cauliflower Casserole is pure comfort with a touch of elegance. Blended with tangy goat cheese and fresh thyme, it’s smooth, flavorful, and baked to golden perfection. Whether you’re looking for a lighter twist on mashed potatoes or a beautiful side dish for your holiday table, this cauliflower casserole is easy to make, naturally gluten free, and sure to impress.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- Skill Level: Easy
I know mashed cauliflower became a popular low carb substitute for mashed potatoes. I’ll be honest, though, I love me a potato, and I’d rather not think of them as an alternative. It’s really not the same. But, that being said, I actually, truly, also love cauliflower. And I might just love mashed cauliflower even more than mashed potatoes.
If you do it right, like this Goat Cheese Whipped Cauliflower Casserole, it is creamy and fluffy, and so simple you can make it any day of the week. But when you elevate the flavors with a couple of simple ingredients, it really is worthy of a special meal. So add it to your holiday menu or with a steak dinner date night meal. Check out all of my menu ideas just before the recipe card.
Why You’ll Love this Whipped Cauliflower Casserole
This easy whipped cauliflower casserole has everything you want in a side dish. It’s smooth, fluffy, and full of rich flavor, yet still light enough to enjoy any night of the week. Here’s why it stands out:
- Beyond basic flavor. Tangy goat cheese adds a rich, creamy taste, and the fresh, lemony note from the thyme is just perfect. It definitely makes it just a little more elegant!
- Velvety texture. The goat cheese also gives is a smooth and creamy consistency, while blending in an egg before popping it into the oven provides a nice fluffiness.
- Naturally gluten free. It’s also another one in my collection of vegetable side dishes I can make for the family that doesn’t require any ingredient swaps to be gluten free for me, but delicious for all of us. It’s also low carb!
- Fits any meal. It’s elegant enough for Thanksgiving, Easter, or a dinner party, but simple enough to pair with chicken, steak, or your favorite weeknight meal.
Recipe Ingredients
Just a handful of simple ingredients come together to make this fluffy cauliflower casserole. Check out what you’ll need, but be sure to go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full amounts and instructions.
- Cauliflower. One head cut into large florets. It can just be roughly cut and you can keep most of the stem since you will stem and puree it.
- Greek yogurt. Make sure it’s plain, but you can choose whether to use nonfat, low fat, or whole milk yogurt.
- Egg. This helps make the casserole nice and fluffy, but not liquidy.
- Goat cheese. One of those small 4-ounce logs is perfect.
- Salt and pepper.
- Thyme. Fresh is preferred, but dried will work in a pinch. You’ll only need about one-third of the amount.
Tips for Success
- Use the right dish. I like to bake my cauliflower casserole in a 2-quart casserole dish or an 11×7-inch glass baking dish.
- Steam and drain. You want to make sure you steam the cauliflower until it is very tender so that it blends smoothly. After you drain it, give it a few minutes to both cool slightly and allow excess moisture to evaporate so your casserole isn’t watery.
- Whip it up. A food processor will do the trick to make this fluffy whipped cauliflower. But for extra creamy results, I like to use my Blendtec high-powered blender.
- Don’t skip the baking step. I like to add an egg to my cauliflower casserole because it makes it fluffier, but that does mean you have to bake it. It’s worth the extra time, though!
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Wrap your leftover cauliflower casserole tightly with plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Freeze – Again, wrap it well with plastic wrap and then cover with aluminum foil. The combination of both is the best way to prevent freezer burn. Or transfer leftovers to an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheat – It can then be unwrapped and reheated in the oven at 350°F right in the casserole dish. If you only have a small amount left, you can transfer it to an airtight storage container and microwave individual servings.
Can I Make Cauliflower Casserole in Advance?
Yes, you can prepare it ahead of time. Baked or unbaked, the casserole can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days or frozen for up to two months if wrapped well. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. For an unbaked casserole, you’ll want to take it out of the refrigerator while the oven preheats, and you will have to add another 10-15 minutes onto the baking time to get it hot in the middle. If you are reheating it, make sure you give it enough time to get steaming hot.
Serving Suggestions
You can easily whip up this cauliflower casserole with your favorite weeknight meals like Honey Balsamic Steak Bites or Baked Blackened Chicken Breasts.
But there is just something extra-special about this dish that makes it perfect to pair with a Sunday bottom round roast or rotisserie chicken (made easy in the air fryer). And it is especially wonderful with your favorite holiday main dishes like glazed ham or prime rib.
Let’s round it out with some favorite side dishes:
- A roast beef supper is not complete without Gluten Free Yorkshire Pudding and Buttery Peas and Carrots.
- Your low carb holiday meal will be perfect with Bacon Green Beans and Spinach Feta Pinwheels.
- An elegant steak dinner goes nicely with Creamed Spinach and Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise.
- A classic ham or turkey feast just calls for Scalloped Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole.
More whipped cauliflower recipes
Goat Cheese Whipped Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme plus additional thyme leaves for sprinkling on top, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F, and lightly coat a 2-quart casserole dish with oil or cooking spray.
- Cut 1 head cauliflower into large florets, discarding the tough stem, and steam over boiling water until very tender.
- Drain thoroughly, and allow to cool slightly so that some of the excess moisture evaporates.
- Place the cauliflower, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 large egg, 4 oz. goat cheese, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme.
- Transfer the whipped cauliflower to the prepared dish. Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through and browned on top. Sprinkle with additional fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
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#CKCchallenge I made this for the March 2023 challenge (GF casseroles) and loved it. Great balance of goat cheese, thyme and cauliflower. Will make again, it is a lovely side dish for spring.
I have made this three times and it’s fabulous. I substituted cream cheese the second time but the goat cheese was better.
I’m so happy to hear that you love the recipe, Kate. It’s one of our favorite side dishes!
This looks really good, but the goat cheese isn’t mentioned in the directions. Pinned.
Never mind! LOL!
Thanks for sharing, Vicky, and no worries… I’m glad you found the goat cheese in the recipe. 😉
I made this with dinner tonight and it was AMAZING. I used herbed goat cheese to add an extra kick and it worked beautifully! For the cauliflower I used steam-in-the-bag frozen, so prep only took five minutes. Extra points for the fact that my kids are currently inhaling their servings. Double win!
SO glad to hear that you enjoyed your dinner, Mandy, and YAY for it being kid-approved, too!
Sounds good, but how is this a gratin though? Doesnt that mean it needs a crust on top? Like breadcrumb/cheese.