This recipe was inspired by one in Dana Carpender’s 500 Low-Carb Recipes. Most people do not cook cauliflower casseroles with this particular cheese as it doesn’t melt easily (why it is mixed into the dish here rather than being spread on top). But once it DOES eventually melt, it truly transforms the ordinary into the sublime. In my opinion, it is the smoked Gouda that truly sets this dish apart from all the other cauliflower casseroles I have ever eaten. I served it to my brother, who was once an executive chef at Top of the Mark in San Francisco and he RAVED about it! It’s Atkins Induction friendly, too!

This recipe appears in Volume 1 of Low Carbing Among Friends (click for more) by best-selling author Jennifer Eloff and other talented chefs. You can order Vol. 1 or the entire set from here or at Amazon.com. These cookbooks are filled with easy, gluten-free, tasty low-carb creations by a group of very talented cooks. GET YOURS TODAY!

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium large head cauliflower

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, grated

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

Dash salt

Optional: chopped chives or green onion to top

DIRECTIONS: Cut up cauliflower into manageable pieces and boil or steam until tender. Drain off any water and mash the chunks up slightly with a fork (do not puree, however). Stir in softened cream cheese until it is melted and blended well. Grease glass casserole dish and spoon half the cauliflower mixture in. Sprinkle with half the grated smoked Gouda. Spoon remaining cauliflower into dish and top with rest of Gouda cheese. Sprinkle with just a dash of salt, as the cheese has a lot of sodium. If you are sodium sensitive, I wouldn’t add ANY salt. Sometimes I add some chopped chives or green onion to the top, but this is not in the nutritional info below. Bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 6, each serving contains: (you may get up to 8 servings and that will lower the net carbs even more)

190.3 cals, 15.22g fat, 6.17g carbs, 2.4g fiber, 3.77g NET CARBS, 8.77g protein, 312 mg sodium