Keto Smoky Gouda Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Keto smoky Gouda cauliflower mac and cheese is incredibly cheesy and amazingly delicious! This dish is true comfort food!

I seriously love this keto smoky gouda cauliflower mac and cheese. This is one of those dishes that, if you have a second refrigerator in your basement or garage, you store any leftovers there so you won’t keep going back to it to sneak bites! We add both smoked paprika and smoked Gouda cheese to really take this dish over the top in smoky flavor! Enjoy!

Let’s talk about cauliflower!

Cauliflower is an amazing keto food choice. It’s both low in calories and low in carbs, but rich in nutrients. Cauliflower can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw, it’s great as is, served with a dip or used to make delicious vegetable salads. To cook cauliflower, you can boil, grill, roast, saute, or steam it. You can also rice it and use as an awesome low carb substitute for rice. For this dish, we’re chopping our cauliflower and roasting it in a simple mixture of melted butter, salt, and pepper until it’s fork tender. Did you know that cauliflower, although most often white, can also be green, orange, and purple in color? I was lucky enough to score some orange cauliflower to make this dish. It’s so beautiful combined with the cheese sauce.😊You can absolutely use white cauliflower for this dish as well.

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

This sauce is so amazingly delicious, but it’s actually quite simple to make! I like to make my sauce while my cauliflower is roasting. To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan, you’ll combine heavy whipping cream, softened and cubed cream cheese, smoked paprika, dry mustard powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. I cook this mixture over medium heat and whisk until the cream cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Alternately, you can also use a spoon and stir this mixture while cooking. I absolutely love smoked Gouda cheese and find it adds amazing smoky flavor to this dish. If you can’t find this, you can use regular Gouda in its place. I do highly recommend you buy your cheese, often shaped round or in a flattened wheel shape, and shred it yourself as it melts the absolute best.

What can I serve with this keto smoky Gouda cauliflower mac and cheese?

You have some awesome low carb options for serving this cauliflower mac and cheese! I like to top mine with some chopped fresh chives or green onions. It can be served with any kind of meat including beef, chicken, pork, seafood, and turkey. You can pair this with anything from burgers and brats to roasts, steaks, and seafood mains. It makes a great side for keto sandwiches and lettuce wraps as well. It can be served as an awesome addition to meatloaf, meatballs, sausage and peppers, pulled chicken, or pulled pork. You can also add it as a side to most any keto casserole. Any grilled or roasted chicken would pair nicely with this cauliflower mac and cheese. For a lighter meal, you could serve this dish with a keto soup or salad. You can add some keto biscuits, chaffles, cornbread, or English muffins to complete your meal perfectly!

Here are some keto chicken main dishes that would pair nicely with this cauliflower mac and cheese!

Chicken Thighs with Keto Tarragon Cream Sauce

Lemon Herb Baked Chicken Leg Quarters

Low Carb Dill Pickle Brined Chicken Drumsticks

Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts

Helpful Hints:

*I make my cheese sauce while my cauliflower is roasting.

*If you can’t find smoked Gouda, you can use regular Gouda cheese to make this dish.

Main Kitchen Equipment and Utensils:

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

Splash of Encouragement:

***You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah Psalm 32:7***