Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese with Smoked Sausage

This BAKED CAULIFLOWER MAC AND CHEESE is a cheesy, creamy casserole that has loads of smoked sausage mixed in. This makes a great main dish or side dish.

When I was a new mom, my husband’s grandma brought us over a homemade mac and cheese casserole and I was so excited to dig in for dinner that night.

I unwrapped the foil and nearly cried on the spot.

There was smoked sausage in the mac and cheese.

WHO DOES SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!

Then I ate it and now I’m a convert. <— Don’t you love a happy ending?

Enter this keto version of macaroni and cheese.

I took my cauliflower mac and cheese (it gets rave reviews – have you tried it yet?) and turned it into a gooey baked casserole loaded with pan-seared smoked sausage.

The crispy edges of the smoked sausage are my favorite part! Well, that and all the cheese. 😉

How to:

We’re starting this recipe with the cauliflower. I highly recommend you use fresh cauliflower here.

Chop a head of cauliflower into macaroni sized pieces and drop them in some boiling water to cook until softened up a bit.

Drain off that water and toss in all the cheesy bits – we’re using cream cheese, cheddar, and monterey jack.

You’ll also stir in some cream and Cajun spice.

We use, love, and totally recommend Tony Chachere’s for the Cajun seasoning. We put that stuff on just about everything.

Seriously – we use it to season meat, sprinkle on cottage cheese, use it in place of salt on boiled eggs, and the list goes on and on. You use it just like you would salt – so good!

Once everything has melted and your cauliflower is ooey, gooey, and coated in cheese, you’ll stir in your seared smoked sausage.

We just slice smoked sausage into thin rounds and sear them in a bit of oil in a smoking hot skillet. We love the browned, crispy edges!

Pour the mixture into a baking dish (we used the cast iron skillet that we seared the sausage in) and top with just a bit more cheddar.

Bake this until it’s hot and bubbly and then dig in!

This is total comfort food and yes – even the kids love it!

They’ll know it’s not ‘real’ mac and cheese, but it’s so cheesy and creamy that they love it anyway. Especially with those bits of sausage throughout.

Can you use frozen cauliflower?

I highly recommend using fresh cauliflower for the best flavor and texture.

We’ve never tested this recipe with frozen cauliflower, but you’ll likely have a difficult time chopping the cauliflower into small pieces if you don’t thaw it first.

Is there a stovetop version?

Absolutely! You can just make the cauliflower and cheese bit, stir in the smoked sausage, and dig in.

We like baking this with a bit of extra cheese on top, just to give it that extra creamy, bubbly, casserole vibe. But, if you’re in a crunch and need dinner on the table quick, just stir together and enjoy.

What brand of smoked sausage?

Be sure to check the nutrition info on the smoked sausage, because some of them can get up in the carb count.

We use and love Johnsonville Andouille Smoked Sausage in this recipe – just 1 net carb.

Hillshire Farm’s Cajun-style Andouille smoked sausage has 2 net carbs.

Don’t want the extra spice in the sausage? Johnsonville’s plain smoked sausage is 2 carbs per serving.

More low carb casseroles:

• Keto Broccoli Casserole
• Spaghetti Squash Casserole
• Keto Breakfast Casserole
• Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole
• Philly Cheesesteak Casserole