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

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 1/4 inch to 1/2 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

Close up shot of keto cauliflower casserole in a white dish with a serving spoon.
4.97 from 27 votes

Ham and Cauliflower Casserole

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
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.

Ingredients
 

  • 24 ounces cauliflower florets
  • 2 cups diced ham
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated, divided
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp 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

Serving: 1serving = 1/8th of recipe | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.5g | Protein: 16.4g | Fat: 15.5g | Fiber: 1.8g
I’d love to know your thoughts, leave your rating below!

Categories:

, , ,

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.

Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!

Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!

4.97 from 27 votes (9 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




45 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is so good! I made a big ham in the crock pot yesterday, so this will be perfect for tonight. I’m hungry for this now! Thanks!

  2. Julie Boissonneault Davitt says:

    I’m about to make this… I got caught before in a cauliflower tortilla recipe that 12 oz was measured and not weighed therefore I messed it up… I don’t see the info in the blog and I apologize if I missed it…. is it 24oz by wt or measured? I’m thinking by weight like a bag of prepackaged or frozen cauliflower. This looks delicious and know I will love it! I got caught with the darn free ham at the grocery store and now have a 12lb beast to use up… Boiling the bone at the moment for some ham pot pie and of course I will freeze some but it seems that it never makes it out of the freezer other than to be thrown out for being in there too long or needing freezer space… I am terrible!!! Thanks for your great recipes!

    1. By weight. Ounces are a measurement of weight, no matter what. So… 24 ounces is 24 ounces.

      1. Julie Boissonneault Davitt says:

        Thank you!

  3. 5 stars
    I’ve made other keto cauliflower and ham casseroles, but this is definitely my favorite! My kids normally aren’t too wild about cauliflower and ham casseroles, but this one they were very complimentary of. Thank you!

  4. Lesly Mason says:

    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.

  5. Vicki Burke says:

    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.

    1. Vicki Burke says:

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

  6. Carrie renfro says:

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

  7. 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

    1. 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!

      1. 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!

  8. 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!

  9. 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?

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

  10. Taffy Todd says:

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

  11. 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!

  12. 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.

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

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

  14. 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.

  15. 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!

  16. 5 stars
    We love how quick and easy this is to make…..and it’s a hit with the kids, too!

  17. 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!

    1. 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.

  18. Dumb question !? Is the Cauliflower . Cooked ?

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

  19. 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)

    1. 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!

      1. 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?

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

Similar Posts