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    Home » Side Dishes » Keto Ham and Cauliflower Casserole

    Published: Apr 4, 2021 · Modified: Aug 19, 2021 by Carolyn

    Keto Ham and Cauliflower Casserole

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    4.5K shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Ham and cauliflower casserole is the perfect way to use up that leftover ham! It’s creamy and rich, and so easy to make. It’s a crowd pleaser too.

    Titled image of keto ham and cauliflower casserole in a small dish, in front of the larger casserole

    This keto cauliflower casserole is the perfect answer to that age old question: what do I do with all this leftover ham???

    If you cook ham for Easter or Thanksgiving, or any other holiday meal, bookmark this recipe now and don’t lose sight of it. You will be so glad you did!

    Ham always makes so much. Even a “small” ham feeds a veritable army. And I am sure I am not alone when I say that the leftovers can be overwhelming.

    So we need any and all recipes to use it up! Be sure to also check out keto ham and cheese scones, and keto baked asparagus for more tasty ideas.

    Close up shot of keto cauliflower casserole in a white dish with a serving spoon.

    Is ham keto?

    So let’s first discuss ham, and whether or not it’s appropriate for the keto diet. The truth is that it depends.

    Ham is a cut of pork from the thigh, and it’s usually cured for longer shelf life and preservation. It may or may not be smoked as well. So it really depends on how your ham is treated before you purchase it.

    Many commercial hams are cured with a brine of salt and sugar, amongst other additives. Which means that some hams can have up to 4 or 5 grams of carbs per serving, even without the sugary glazes.

    It’s important to be a label reader and choose ham with the least amount of carbs. Some can even have 0g, if they are cured with salt brine or simply smoked.

    A spoonful of ham and cauliflower casserole being lifted out of the casserole dish.

    Ham and Cauliflower Casserole Inspiration

    My husband’s brother sent us a gorgeous heritage breed ham from Zingerman’s for Easter. Of course, the very first thing I did was flip it over to look at the nutritional information. Phew, only 1g carbs per serving!

    I am not a huge ham lover, but this was among the best I’ve ever had. Rich and flavorful, and no sugary sweetness. But as always with ham, it was far too much for one dinner.

    We’ve all been picking at it daily, often eating it for breakfast with an egg on top. But I wanted to do something else more interesting with the leftovers. I saw this Ham and Hashbrown casserole on Salty Side Dish, and thought I could do something similar with cauliflower.

    A photo collage showing how to make keto cauliflower casserole.

    How to make Keto Ham Cauliflower Casserole

    This is a super easy keto side dish that takes only 6 ingredients. It’s full of flavor and even my kids loved it. Big win!

    Shred or coarsely chop the cauliflower

    You could make this keto cauliflower casserole with cauliflower rice. But I wanted more texture than that. So I popped the florets in my food processor and pulsed it until coarsely chopped.

    You could also use the shredding blade of a food processor. Or you could simply use a sharp knife and chop them by hand.

    Dice the ham

    You want to get bits of ham in every bite so dicing it works best. The pieces should be no more than ¼ inch to ½ inch in size (small dice).

    Grate the cheese

    You can use pre-shredded cheese but grating an 8 ounce block of cheddar is easy. And this way, you can be sure that there are no added starches or fillers.

    Use a thickener

    Unlike hashbrowns, cauliflower releases a lot of water during baking. So I recommend sprinkling in some glucomannan powder before baking. The liquids will thicken up more as the casserole begins to cool.

    It’s the same trick I use for Keto Rhubarb Crisp!

    If you can’t find glucomannan, xanthan gum may also work. Neither is required, but the casserole will be a little watery when it comes out of the oven.

    Bake until bubbly

    The casserole is done when the filling is bubbly, the cheese is browned, and the cauliflower is fork tender.

    Let stand

    This casserole is super hot straight out of the oven. I recommend letting it sit for 10 or 15 minutes before serving. This also gives the filling a chance to thicken up a bit.

    A serving of keto ham and cauliflower casserole in a small white dish.

    That’s it, friends! This keto cauliflower casserole was a surprise hit in my house, with my middle child even coming back for seconds. That says a lot!

    More delicious keto casserole recipes

    • Keto Brussels Sprouts Casserole
    • Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
    • Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
    • Keto Enchilada Casserole
    • Cheesy Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
    • Loaded Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole
    Close up shot of keto cauliflower casserole in a white dish with a serving spoon.

    Ham and Cauliflower Casserole

    Ham and cauliflower casserole is the perfect way to use up that leftover ham! It's creamy and rich, and so easy to make. It's a crowd pleaser too.
    5 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: ham and cauliflower casserole, ham casserole, keto cauliflower casserole
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 244kcal

    Ingredients

    • 24 ounces cauliflower florets
    • 2 cups diced ham
    • 8 ounces cheddar cheese grated, divided
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ teaspoon glucomannan (optional)
    • 1 cup full fat sour cream

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9×13 pan or other large casserole dish.
    • Place half of the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse a few times on high until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining cauliflower. (It's okay to have some bigger pieces in there…)
    • Add the ham, half of the cheese, and the garlic. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and glucomannan and toss to combine. Fold in the sour cream until well coated.
    • Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheddar. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
    • Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
    Nutrition Facts
    Ham and Cauliflower Casserole
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving = ⅛th of recipe)
    Calories 244 Calories from Fat 140
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 15.5g24%
    Carbohydrates 6.5g2%
    Fiber 1.8g7%
    Protein 16.4g33%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    4.5K shares

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    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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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lesly Mason says

      December 31, 2022 at 12:07 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for supper and it turned out great. I added some onion and broccoli just because but it would have been good without. We really enjoyed it. It will become a regular.

      Reply
    2. Vicki Burke says

      December 27, 2022 at 2:11 pm

      5 stars
      Wow. This dish is delicious. It smelled really good coming out of the oven and it was hard to wait for it to cool a bit. I recommend letting it cool even longer than mentioned as mine was still very hot.

      You have another winner here and I will be making this again for sure. I’ve now started a batch of your keto candied pecans and can’t wait for those to be done. I’m sure the house is gonna smell amazing shortly. Thanks for all you do bringing all these amazing recipes to us.

      Also, I did use the Zanthan gum as that’s all I had and it worked well.

      Reply
      • Vicki Burke says

        December 27, 2022 at 2:13 pm

        BTW, I should have said the zanthan gum went into the cauliflower dish, NOT the pecans.

        Reply
    3. Carrie renfro says

      November 21, 2022 at 2:54 pm

      Can I use xanthan gum if I don’t have glucomannan

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        November 21, 2022 at 7:08 pm

        Please read the blog post.

        Reply
    4. Helen says

      October 09, 2022 at 5:54 pm

      I noticed you don’t include sodium & sugar in nutrition facts. I’m diabetic have high blood pressure, I have to watch my sugar & salt. Thanks

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        October 09, 2022 at 7:01 pm

        Sugar is a carb… I am a fellow diabetic so really, the number to watch for is the carb count. I don’t use added sugars so the total sugars will be very minimal. Salt you will need to calculate on your own. Thanks!

        Reply
        • Nancy says

          December 28, 2022 at 6:17 pm

          5 stars
          This is delicious! I used leftover holiday ham. Tasted much like the scalloped potato casserole with ham I used to make. Thanks for a great recipe!

          Reply
    5. Kristi says

      September 28, 2022 at 11:17 pm

      5 stars
      Gave this a try tonight and as I’m making it, it seems very much like a much loved ham & potato casserole I’ve made for years. With that thought in mind, I added a VERY healthy dose of 505 Green Chili to the mixture, plus a bunch of extra cheese. I omitted the Glucommanan, not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t realize I didn’t have any. I think it would’ve been a bit better with it. Less liquidy. My meat and potatoes hubby didn’t notice the taste difference so much as the crunch of the cauli instead of softer potatoes. But even he said it wasn’t bad. = )

      As usual… another tasty recipe!

      Reply
    6. Patti says

      September 24, 2022 at 11:37 am

      Would it help to cut down on the excess water cooking out of the cauliflower if I baked that first then added the ingredients together and popped it back in the oven to heat through?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        September 24, 2022 at 4:42 pm

        You can try but this really doesn’t have a ton of excess liquid.

        Reply
    7. Taffy Todd says

      August 20, 2022 at 5:47 pm

      This looks delicious! I have some leftover turkey, yes I cooked a whole turkey in the summer.would turkey be a fair substitute?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        August 20, 2022 at 5:54 pm

        Sure!

        Reply
    8. Fatima says

      January 20, 2022 at 2:00 am

      5 stars
      I had leftover ham from Christmas and was so glad I found this recipe! It was super easy and so good! Thank you!

      Reply
    9. Carol says

      January 18, 2022 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      Very Good! I added a small amount of diced onion, and that added to the flavour. I only added the cheese ontop for the last 10 mins of heating. My hubby liked it, and he’s not a big fan of ham, and he didn’t complain. I only had home grated “riced” fresh cauliflower, so I used that. Keen to definitely have this again. Thanks.

      Reply
    10. Binki says

      August 05, 2021 at 4:46 pm

      Can it be made with cooked chicken or would you use raw chicken cut into chunks

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        August 05, 2021 at 8:22 pm

        I would not do this with any raw meat. It needs to be cooked.

        Reply
    11. Lynn says

      June 09, 2021 at 8:36 am

      5 stars
      Really good, hearty meal! I didn’t have sour cream, so I softened cream cheese. Turned out great. I tossed a little Tabasco sauce on top and chowed down.

      Reply
    12. Betsy says

      May 10, 2021 at 2:20 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious. I could easily eat this several times a week and for any meal! I can barely tell there’s cauliflower in here! It’s just so perfectly delicious!

      Reply
    13. Kellie H says

      May 10, 2021 at 2:11 pm

      5 stars
      We love how quick and easy this is to make…..and it’s a hit with the kids, too!

      Reply
    14. Melissa says

      May 10, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe – I’m always on the hunt for Keto friendly recipes! When I found your recipe I knew I had to try it! Delicious and I would defiantly recommend it!

      Reply
    15. Christine Hartley says

      April 16, 2021 at 12:46 pm

      can you use frozen?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        April 16, 2021 at 6:04 pm

        Frozen cauliflower? You would need to thaw it first and let it drain. And it’s going to be softer from the get go so best to cook for less time.

        Reply
    16. Kate says

      April 06, 2021 at 1:41 pm

      Dumb question !? Is the Cauliflower . Cooked ?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        April 06, 2021 at 3:51 pm

        It goes into the pan raw… it comes out cooked. 😉

        Reply
    17. Marianna says

      April 04, 2021 at 8:06 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and I was so happy with how it turned out. Used the thick portion of canned coconut milk instead of sour cream but otherwise followed the recipe. So delicious and filling! Highly recommend! Thanks for the recipe!! :o)

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        April 04, 2021 at 10:26 pm

        So glad you liked it! I was amazed that my kids ate it willingly… these days anything “cauliflower” is a tough sell. I love it and my husband and I ate it for breakfast with a fried egg on top too. Delicious!

        Reply
        • Justine says

          October 04, 2021 at 9:24 pm

          Yes, cauliflower is a hard sell here, too. I think I overdid it on swapping pasta for cauliflower when I first started Keto and now it’s complaints every time it’s on the table… though much less so if it’s in “riced” form, so this may work! I’m wondering if Beef Gelatin would work to thicken it up a bit, since I don’t have either of the other thickeners you mentioned. Any thoughts?

          Reply
          • Carolyn says

            October 05, 2021 at 9:50 am

            Gelatin thickens as it cools so it may not help much when it’s hot…

            Reply

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