• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Andrea Meyers logo

  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Photography
    • The Farm Project
    • Cooking with Kids
    • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Vegetables

    Cauliflower Casserole with Italian Sauce

    Sep 19, 2014 · Modified: Dec 26, 2021 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Cauliflower Casserole with Italian Sauce - Andrea Meyers

    My guys will eat almost anything as long as it has a good sauce to go with it, and this cauliflower casserole I adapted from Cooking Light is more proof of that. They don’t like cauliflower, and though they’ve done pretty well with occasional roasted cauliflower, they don’t ask for this white vegetable.

    But Italian sauce…they love lots of Italian sauce on just about anything. Even cauliflower.

    Head of cauliflower on a cutting board - Andrea MeyersSo I tried it. I bought big heads of cauliflower and brought them home, proudly displayed them on the kitchen island, and said we were having them for dinner. Michael gave me the side eye and said he would try it. A little while later as he worked in his office, he shouted out to me, “Something smells good!” That was the sauce. I quickly steamed the cauliflower, put it in the baking dish and poured sauce all over it, then gave it a few sprinkles of Grana Padano cheese. Five minutes under the broiler, and it was ready.

    I admit I held my breath while Michael tasted it. He waved his arms around and said how delicious it was, and commented that the cauliflower didn’t have the noxious sulfur taste that it can get when overcooked. The boys ate all of their cauliflower at dinner and asked if we could have this again.

    Mom win!

    Cauliflower Casserole with Italian Sauce - Andrea Meyers
    Print Pin

    Cauliflower Casserole with Italian Sauce

    Adapted from Cooking Light.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Vegetable
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Keyword: cauliflower, gluten free, parmesan cheese, pasta sauce, vegetarian
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 104kcal
    Author: Andrea Meyers

    Equipment

    • large skillet
    • 6 quart pot with lid
    • 9x13-inch baking dish, coated with olive oil

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 cup chopped onion
    • 4 garlic cloves (minced)
    • 3 cups spaghetti sauce
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 ounces pitted kalamata olives (coarsely chopped)
    • 1½ pounds cauliflower (cut into florets)
    • ¼ cup grated fresh Grana Padano cheese ( or Parmigiano cheese, or vegan alternative)
    US Customary - Metric

    Preparation

    • Heat the large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and onion, and sauté until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the sauce, salt, peppers, and olives.
    • Preheat the broiler.
    • Steam the cauliflower florets in the 6-quart pot until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and put it in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle on the cheese.
    • Broil until the cheese is soft and browned, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

    Recipe Notes

    The original recipe includes sirloin steak, which is very tasty. You can use cannellini beans to make this a vegetarian dish.
    The original recipe uses bread crumbs in the topping. To make it gluten-free for me, I skip the bread crumbs and serve hearty Italian bread on the side for the family.
    For a time saver, you can use 1 pound of frozen cauliflower florets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 967mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

    More Easy Recipes

    Baked Potato Salad with Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette - Andrea Meyers
    Baked Potato Salad with Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette (The Kids Cook Monday)
    Butternut Squash Au Gratin with Mushrooms and Bacon - Andrea Meyers
    Butternut Squash Au Gratin with Mushrooms and Bacon
    Steak Tips with Mushroom Pepper Gravy - Andrea Meyers
    Steak Tips with Mushroom Pepper Gravy

    More Cauliflower Recipes From Other Blogs

    • An Edible Mosaic – Green Pea, Baby Potato, and Cauliflower Curry
    • Connoisseurus Veg – Roasted Cauliflower Tikka
    • Apples & Sparkle – Crispy Italian Cauliflower Poppers with Marinara
    • The Wicked Noodle – Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

    [Disclosure: I am a member of the Cooking Light Bloggers' Connection.]

    « Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
    Roasted Chicken Stock »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. KalynsKitchen says

      September 21, 2014 at 1:12 pm

      Great idea, love it!

      • Andrea says

        September 21, 2014 at 1:40 pm

        Hi Kalyn! Thanks, all four of my guys really enjoyed this.

    2. KalynsKitchen says

      October 01, 2014 at 11:05 am

      Hi Andrea. Coming back to let you know that I featured this recipe in my round-up of 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes from September 2014. Hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try the recipe!

      • Andrea says

        October 03, 2014 at 9:03 am

        Thanks so much Kalyn! I will check out all the others in the round-up.

    3. Yvonne says

      October 02, 2014 at 9:38 pm

      Andrea,

      This cauliflower casserole was delicious. I roasted my cauliflower instead of blanching, and added some leftover chicken I needed to use up. A one dish meal.

      Thank you for this recipe. It will be made again, a definite favourite

      • Andrea says

        October 03, 2014 at 9:04 am

        Excellent! Always happy to hear when a dish is a hit for other families. 🙂

    4. Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says

      February 01, 2016 at 8:31 am

      This looks amazing! I love how versatile cauliflower is and this recipe is the perfect example...sort-of like a much healthier version of baked pasta! And thank you so much for the link love!

    Primary Sidebar

    Andrea Meyers photo

    Hi, I'm Andrea Meyers: educator, photographer, tea drinker, avid cook, and gardener. I love helping people learn how to do great things.

    More about me →

    Seasonal Favorites

    • Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans with Rice
    • Baked Boston Brown Bread
    • Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans (Kids Cook Monday)
    • Slow-Cooker Chicken Korma
    • Roasted Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
    • Country Captain Chicken

    Trending

    • Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
    • Dry Beans and Legumes Cooking Chart (From the Pantry)
    • Colombian Hot Chocolate
    • Cincinnati Chili
    web hosting

    Footer

    Return to the top


    About

    • About Andrea
    • Contact
    • Advocacy
    • FAQs
    • As seen in
    • Work with me

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Comment Policy
    • Accessibility
    • Copyright Policy

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

    ALL PHOTOS AND ORIGINAL TEXT COPYRIGHT © 2005-2022 ANDREA MEYERS PRODUCTIONS LLC
    YOU MAY NOT USE ANY PHOTOS OR ORIGINAL TEXT WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION.