Keto Bacon Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Keto bacon cauliflower mac and cheese is amazingly creamy and cheesy, and it’s also amazingly delicious!

You don’t have to give up awesome comfort food when following a keto plan and this keto bacon cauliflower mac and cheese exemplifies this perfectly! We roast cauliflower, then add it to a homemade cheese sauce and finish our dish off in the oven. We love, love, love this dish and hope you will too!

Let’s talk about our cauliflower!

Cauliflower is a great keto food choice. It’s a low calorie and low carb food which is rich in nutrients. Although you’ll most often see white cauliflower, it can also be green, orange, and purple. Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. When I serve raw veggies and dip, cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables to include. To cook cauliflower, you can boil, grill, roast, saute, or steam it. You can also rice cauliflower and serve it in all kinds of dishes as a low carb rice option. For this dish, we’re roasting our cauliflower. You’ll want to chop your cauliflower into bite sized pieces, then toss it in a simple mixture of butter, salt, and pepper and roast until it’s fork tender. I line my baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean up a breeze!

How do I make the cheese sauce for this keto bacon cauliflower mac and cheese?

This cheese sauce is amazingly creamy and cheesy. It’s also quite easy to make. I start my sauce while my cauliflower is roasting. In a saucepan, you’ll combine heavy whipping cream with softened and cubed cream cheese, smoked paprika, dry mustard, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then heat and stir or whisk occasionally until the cream cheese is completely melted and your mixture is smooth. You’ll then add your cheese. I recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. This melts the absolute best. I used cheddar cheese for this dish, but you could substitute with any good melting cheese. Some great options include colby, gruyere, havarti, Monterey jack, mozzarella, provolone, regular or smoked gouda, or Swiss cheese. You’ll want to stir or whisk the sauce until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Then you’ll simply stir in the bacon and your sauce is ready!

How can I serve this keto bacon cauliflower mac and cheese?

You have some awesome keto options for serving this dish. As a side dish, this cauliflower mac and cheese can be served with any kind of meat. It pairs well with things such as burgers, brats, keto sandwiches, and lettuce wraps. You can also serve it with roasts, steaks, and seafood mains. It would make a perfect side for meatloaf, meatballs, sausage and peppers, sloppy joes, pulled chicken or pulled pork, and most any keto casserole. Any chicken dish would also pair nicely with this cauliflower mac and cheese, as would a bowl of soup or chili. If you’d like, you could also serve this dish as a main. A nice green salad could be added, or you could serve it with some keto biscuits, cornbread, or English muffins. Another great option is to bring this dish to parties and potlucks. Just get ready for the recipe requests!

Here are some delicious chicken mains that would pair perfectly with this cauliflower mac and cheese!

Easy Baked Harissa Chicken Thighs

Lemon Herb Baked Chicken Leg Quarters

Low Carb Dill Pickle Brined Chicken Drumsticks

Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts

Helpful Hints:

*For the best results, for the cheese sauce, I recommend using a block of cheese and shredding it yourself.

*You can substitute any good melting cheese for the cheddar cheese if you’d like.

Main Kitchen Equipment and Utensils:

• Large baking sheet
• Measuring spoons
• Medium saucepan
• 11×7 inch baking dish

Splash of Encouragement:

***O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth!***