Cauliflower Ham Casserole

Name: Cauliflower Ham Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 4 cups chopped fresh cauliflower; 1/4 cup butter, cubed; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups 2% milk; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 1/2 cup sour cream; 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham; 1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained; TOPPING:; 1 cup soft bread crumbs; 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Cauliflower replaces the potatoes in this comforting casserole, which I’ve been making for 30 years. Whenever we have leftover ham, my husband asks me to make this dish. —Sue Herlund, White Bear Lake, Minnesota

Ingredients

4 cups chopped fresh cauliflower
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
TOPPING:
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Place cauliflower in a large saucepan; cover with 1 in. water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese and sour cream until melted.
Drain cauliflower. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, ham and mushrooms. Add cheese sauce and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish.
Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 383 calories, 25g fat (15g saturated fat), 95mg cholesterol, 1007mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (7g sugars, 3g fiber), 19g protein.

Originally published as Creamy Ham Casserole in Taste of Home December/January 2006

Reviews

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Average Rating:

annrms

Oct 16, 2017

I love this recipe! I first cooked the cauliflower to al dente. I topped it with Italian bread crumbs and only cooked it 25 minutes.
Marcia

Dec 14, 2016

This is an absolute favorite ... with a couple of minor changes to address the issues noted with the dish sometimes being watery. I replaced 1 cup of the milk and the mushrooms with a can of cream of mushroom soup for a creamy, cheesy side dish that has been a favorite at every covered dish event. Yummy!
hkpepin

Jun 30, 2016

My husband doesn't like potatoes and I had, at my son's request, bought a head of purple cauliflower so when I saw this recipe, I decided to give it a shot. I didn’t have any sour cream so I used a little extra butter and milk instead. My husband and i both really wnjoyed this recipe and my daughter, who is usually leery of cauliflower, ate a healthy bowl for dinner as well. Telling her it was a bowl of purple and pink (ham) and adding a little feta and parmesan did help too.But I would definitely do this again! Not a good weeknight meal if you're in a hurry, as this recipe ended up taking closer to 1.5 hours than the one hour listed on the recipe. A winner in my book.
hbaseley

Feb 16, 2016

I'm not a big cauliflower fan, but I thought I might enjoy it in this dish. I think it's a good recipe, but I probably won't make it again. I may try it using potatoes, since the cheese sauce was tasty and the recipe had a good balance of ingredients. I did use reduced fat sharp cheddar, light sour cream and fat free milk, and no one noticed. I also had to sub panko breadcrumbs, and we liked the topping. Since some people commented about it being watery, I returned the cauliflower back to the pot, after draining, to "dry" them for a minute or so, while stirring over medium-low heat.
mayun

Jul 24, 2015

My family and I loved it! Will surely make it again. Being A cheese lover, I added a little Velveeta and used French fried onion rings on top in place of bread crumbs.
katecrid47

Apr 9, 2015

This was really good! Mine was a bit watery also as mentioned before but still yummy.
jmkasprak

Jun 10, 2014

This is a good recipe if you're trying to cut back on your carbs since most ham casserole recipes contain potatoes. I sauteed finely chopped onions and red pepper in the butter for extra flavor and left out the canned mushrooms. This does NOT reheat well since the leftovers become watery.
katlaydee3

Feb 23, 2014

Excellent recipe! The only change I made was to leave out the mushrooms. I noticed it was somewhat watery, but since no one else mentioned this problem, I must have either not drained the cauliflower enough or didn't let it rest before eating. I served this with a Greek salad and asiago cheese dinner rolls.
Joscy

Mar 10, 2013

This would be a lovely dish to serve for Easter. Have made it a couple times, and will continue, but seemingly forgot about it.
HOGWriter

Jan 2, 2013

Definately a keeper. I added a 1/2 tsp Bavarian seasoning (by Penzeys with crushed brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaves & sage) to heighten the flavor. We loved it.