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This single serving cauliflower casserole features roasted cauliflower baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce and finished with bacon and green onions. It’s a small batch vegetable casserole that’s ready in about 30 minutes and baked in a ramekin.
Featured Comment
“I am shocked by how absolutely delicious and simple this recipe is!”
– Hedy
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Roasted Cauliflower Flavor: Roasting the cauliflower creates deep flavor and lightly browned edges, giving this casserole far more flavor than steamed cauliflower.
- Creamy and Satisfying: A blend of sour cream, heavy cream, and cheese creates a rich, creamy texture.
- Easy to Adjust: Swap in broccoli, change the cheese, or leave out the bacon to fit your preferences without changing the structure of the recipe.
- Scales Well: This single serving cauliflower casserole can easily be doubled if you want to make a larger portion.
This small cauliflower casserole is one of those recipes I come back to again and again. I love how roasting the cauliflower first brings out a deeper flavor and gives it just enough texture before it’s folded into the creamy, cheesy sauce. It bakes up warm and comforting, with smoky bacon and sharp cheddar in every bite, and it feels like something special even though it’s made with simple ingredients.
When I want a vegetable dish that feels satisfying and well thought out, this is the one I reach for.
This cauliflower casserole is delicious on its own, but it also pairs well with a variety of single serving main dishes. Serve it with beef tenderloin, ham steak, meatloaf, or pork tenderloin for a well balanced meal.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Cauliflower: Roasting the cauliflower florets brings out a deeper, savory flavor and a tender, slightly caramelized texture that elevates this casserole above plain steamed florets. Cauliflower also adds fiber and nutrients like vitamins C, K, and B6 while keeping calories low. Use extra cauliflower to make buffalo cauliflower tacos.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil lightly coats the cauliflower so it roasts evenly and browns nicely. It has a clean, true olive flavor and retains more natural antioxidants than lighter olive oils, but you can use light olive oil if that’s what you have on hand.
- Seasonings: A pinch of salt and black pepper enhances the cauliflower’s natural flavor. A bit of garlic powder adds a mellow, aromatic depth without overpowering the dish.
- Cheese: I use cheddar which gives the casserole rich, tangy, cheesy flavor and a creamy melt. You could also use Guyère which adds a nutty profile or pepper jack which brings mild heat, if you want variation. Use extra cheese in a small hashbrown casserole or chicken divan for one.
- Bacon: One strip of cooked bacon, crumbled on top, adds smoky, savory crunch that helps make this casserole feel like a loaded, comfort side. Use extra bacon in a small crack chicken, stuffed baked fish, or potato soup for one.
- Green onions: Thinly sliced green onions add a fresh, crisp bite and bright flavor contrast to the rich cheese and roasted cauliflower.
RELATED: How To Freeze Bacon
How To Cut Cauliflower Into Florets
- Cut the cauliflower in half: Slice the cauliflower straight down through the center.
- Cut into quarters: Cut each half in half again to create four sections.
- Remove the core: Use a knife to cut away the tough core from each quarter.
- Separate into florets: Break the cauliflower into bite sized florets using your hands or a knife.
- Use the core: The core is edible and can be chopped and cooked along with the florets.
This simple method makes it easy to prepare fresh cauliflower for this single serving casserole or other recipes.
Recipe Variations
This single serving cauliflower casserole is delicious as written, but these simple variations work well if you want to change it up:
- Broccoli and Cauliflower: Replace half of the cauliflower with broccoli florets. This creates a balanced vegetable casserole with similar texture and flavor.
- Spicy Cauliflower Casserole: Add a few tablespoons of chopped jalapeños and use pepper jack cheese for gentle heat throughout the dish.
- Potato Casserole: Substitute the cauliflower with one small potato. Boil until tender, cut into bite sized pieces, and use in place of the cauliflower.
- Italian Style: Use shredded mozzarella instead of cheddar, add finely chopped prosciutto, and stir in 1/8 teaspoon of Italian seasoning for a different flavor profile.
How To Make A Single Serving Cauliflower Casserole
These step by step instructions show you how to make a single serving cauliflower casserole. See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts.
- Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Season the cauliflower: Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Roast the cauliflower: Spread the florets in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Make the sauce: In the same bowl, whisk together the sour cream and heavy cream. Stir in the garlic powder, half of the cheese, half of the bacon, and 1 tablespoon of the green onions.
- Combine: Add the roasted cauliflower to the bowl and gently stir to coat.
- Assemble: Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered 10 ounce ramekin. Top with the remaining cheese and bacon. Place the ramekin on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Top with the remaining green onions and serve hot.
Expert Tips
- Prep before you start: This cauliflower casserole comes together quickly, so have your ingredients measured and ready before you begin.
- Fresh or frozen cauliflower: Both work well. If using frozen cauliflower, thaw it completely and pat it dry to remove excess moisture.
- Shred your own cheese: Freshly shredded cheese melts more smoothly than pre shredded cheese, which contains anti caking agents.
- Vegetarian option: Simply leave out the bacon for a meat free cauliflower casserole.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- Make ahead: Roast the cauliflower up to 2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The sour cream mixture can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
- Storage: Store the baked cauliflower casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or microwave in short intervals, stirring if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Thaw the cauliflower completely and pat it dry before roasting to prevent excess moisture.
A 10 ounce ramekin works best for this single serving cauliflower casserole.
Yes. You can double the ingredients and bake the casserole in a 5×5 inch baking dish.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this single serving cauliflower casserole recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Get a Quick Recipe Overview
Cauliflower Casserole For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups cauliflower florets (about ¼ of a large head of cauliflower) 6- ounces
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 strip bacon -cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the florets in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In the same bowl, whisk together the sour cream and heavy cream. Stir in the garlic powder, half of the cheese, half of the bacon, and 1 tablespoon of the green onions.
- Add the roasted cauliflower to the bowl and gently stir to coat.
- Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered 10 ounce ramekin. Top with the remaining cheese and bacon. Place the ramekin on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Top with the remaining green onions and serve hot.
Notes
- Prep before you start: This cauliflower casserole comes together quickly, so have your ingredients measured and ready before you begin.
- Fresh or frozen cauliflower: Both work well. If using frozen cauliflower, thaw it completely and pat it dry to remove excess moisture.
- Shred your own cheese: Freshly shredded cheese melts more smoothly than pre shredded cheese, which contains anti caking agents.
- Vegetarian option: Simply leave out the bacon for a meat free cauliflower casserole.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Please give us an alternative recipe that doesn’t leave behind expensive heavy cream and sour cream. I love your site! But this recipe creates left over ingredients. Is there an easy way to make heavy cream with what I have on hand? I know how to make sour cream
Thank you! I’m so glad you love the site. We actually have a Leftover Ingredient Recipe Finder at the top of each page where you can enter ingredients you have on hand, and it will suggest other recipes that use them.
For this recipe, if you don’t want leftover heavy cream, you can try making your own by mixing melted butter with milk—it won’t be as rich, but it can work in a pinch. Since you already know how to make sour cream, that part is covered! Hope this helps!
Use milk and butter for heavy cream. Simple and easy
I used a bag of frozen breaded cauliflower with a buffalo sauce included. I roasted the breaded cauliflower per the instructions in this recipe. When making the sauce I included about a tablespoon of the buffalo sauce, mix that with the roasted cauliflower and then drizzled more buffalo sauce on top with the additional cheddar cheese and bacon. I also added some blue cheese crumbles that I had on hand. Turned out very tasty. I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I make this recipe again using regular cauliflower I may add some Buffalo or hot sauce and blue cheese. Thank you for the great recipe!
This was wonderful! Didn’t have green onions so I substituted some sautéed sweet onions.
I am shocked by how absolutely delicious and simple this recipe is! I thought it would be plain but wow! I made hash browns that morning for breakfast and used the leftovers with the bacon and sour cream mix and stored in the fridge for tomorrow. Highly recommend this one. Love these recipes as I am a new empty nester and hate wasting food. Portion sizes are perfect. Cannot wait to try more!
I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Great recipe.