This easy smoked sausage casserole is the perfect comfort food. Just pop everything into your slow cooker and in a few hours, you have a hearty side dish or a full keto meal. This post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery.
I have a problem and this cheesy keto smoked sausage casserole is the perfect solution.
Every year, right around this time, I get really caught up in creating delicious holiday recipes. So caught up, in fact, that I forget about feeding my family.
Wait, you mean they can’t just live off of keto Christmas cookies for a few months? They need some real food too?
Okay, fine! Let’s just throw some cauliflower, chopped kielbasa, and some Cabot cheddar in the slow cooker and call it dinner. Now that’s a very good idea indeed!
Easy Dinner Inspiration
I think it’s safe to say we can all use more easy keto dinner recipes during the holiday season. We’re all running around, prepping our Thanksgiving meals and shopping for loved ones. All while juggling work and family and other obligations.
So a meal that practically cooks itself while you attend to other things? That’s absolutely priceless.
Slow cooker smoked sausage casserole fits the bill perfectly. It’s what I like to call a “dump-and-run” recipe. Dump everything into your slow cooker, stir together, and walk away. That’s all you need to do.
Cabot for flavor!
I make no bones about my love for Cabot cheddar. It is unparalleled for flavor, in my opinion, and I use it in everything from keto drop biscuits to keto cheese crackers.
Their cheddar wins awards every year in all sorts of categories. But as anyone who has lived in the New England area knows, they are an exceptional company in a multitude of ways. As a cooperative, they are member-owned and member-controlled, so the farmers benefit directly.
They also give back to the communities, and promote programs for volunteerism, fundraising, non-profits, and health and wellness.
Is that why the cheese tastes so good? I can’t say for sure but I have my suspicions!
How to make cheesy smoked sausage casserole
- Chop the cauliflower into small pieces. I recommend less than 1 inch, which helps it cook through faster and more evenly.
- Check the label on the smoked sausage. Some brands add a startling amount of sugar to kielbasa and other smoked sausage, but it really doesn’t need it. Look for sausage that has less than 2g of carbs per serving.
- Use good sharp cheddar. Have I mentioned that I love Cabot???
- Toss everything together. Once you add all the ingredients into the slow cooker, give it a stir to mix it up.
- Cook on low. It should only take 3 hours or so for the cauliflower to become tender.
- Thicken the sauce. Since the cauliflower releases a fair bit of liquid, you can whisk in some glucomannan to thicken the sauce a bit. But this step is optional and it tastes delicious either way!
- Add more cheddar at the end. You could mix in all the cheddar at the beginning but I love a delicious coating of gooey, melted cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can but pressure cookers tend to force vegetables like cauliflower to release a lot of excess moisture. To avoid this casserole being too soupy, I recommend on cutting the sour cream in half and being ready to add more glucomannan.
Sure! Any pre-cooked sausage would be great, as would cooked chicken. I recommend pre-cooked for both ease and food safety, but you can always cook it yourself before making the casserole.
I don’t recommend frozen cauliflower for this recipe. The freezing and thawing process makes the cauliflower more mushy.
I haven’t tried this recipe with anything else but broccoli would work well and radishes might be good. I don’t recommend something like zucchini because of the high moisture content.
The leftovers should be stored in the fridge in a covered container, and will last up to 5 days. I recommend re-heating them gently in the microwave or the oven.
Keto Smoked Sausage Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces fresh cauliflower, cut into small pieces (less than one inch)
- 1 lb smoked kielbasa, chopped
- 8 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp, grated, divided
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp glucomannan, optional
- Chopped chives or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.
- Add the cauliflower, kielbasa, 4 ounces of the cheddar, the sour cream, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper to the bottom. Toss to combine.
- Cook on low for 3 hours. Stir to mix everything up well. If you want to thicken the sauce at this point, push the meat and cauliflower to one side and whisk the glucomannan into the liquid.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar overtop and replace the lid. Cook another 30 to 60 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the cauliflower is fork tender.
- Sprinkle with the chives or parsley and serve. You can serve it straight out of the slow cooker or transfer to another serving dish, as desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I have tried many recipes from different people and this was the first one I Loved! and will make again.
Thanks!
Silly me! I did not read the recipe carefully and did not have sour cream on hand. I put all the other ingredients together and cooked it up anyway. It was good! I’ll bet it is even better when you follow the recipe. I also think this would be good with cabbage.
I can’t get Cabot Creamery cheeses….any other suggestions?
Any good quality cheddar will work.
Would this be okay made with FROZEN cauliflower and cooked (almost instantly) on the stovetop? Or is it made with fresh cauliflower for the extended cooking time in the slow cooker?
It’s worth a shot. Have fun experimenting!
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I didn’t add any salt as I tend to let each family member add their own to taste.
Who on earth gave this over salted, soupy, cardboard tasting recipe anything beyond ZERO stars (I clicked one to make sure). This was HORRIBLE.
So many others beg to differ. There’s also a polite way to give an opinion.
I didn’t have the foresight to throw everything into the slow cooker, but I definitely will in the future. This time around I baked it in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes, then added the last 4oz of cheese and bumped up the temp to 400 for another 10/15 minutes h til it was melted and bubbly. It was really tasty! I wish I pulled back on the salt a bit since the cheese and sausage were pretty salty, but it was great otherwise.
Well…We just purchased cauliflower and kielbasa (and it is Tetons) yesterday! This looks nice will make for dinner. Thanks.
Made this sausage slo-cooker dish earlier this week and both my husband and I thought it was terrific!!! Easy, simple to assemble and delicious. Served with some fresh steamed
asparagus. I generally question the number of servings as listed. We had enough for 2 container for the freezer!
Dear Carolyn..
I just saw your recipe for the 1st time and can’t wait to try it! I love kielbasa sausage and it’s quick and easy. The only thing I may change is the cheese to just sharp Cabot cuz I don’t really care for sharp cheese.. I’ll let you know how it turned out!
Thanks!
That works!
OK, I work all day and could only make this on weekends (and then I forgot to do it, lol). How can I do this in the oven and take less time, so I can have it during the week, please?