Mary's Gluten Free Baconflower Casserole
Let’s talk Gluten Free! In the last year, it was brought to my attention that I may be gluten intolerant. A couple of visits to my doctor and a couple of tests later, I was on a new eating track!
My first thought? “Does that mean I am going to have to eat nuts and leaves and no candy?” As I am still learning, I do not have all the answers, but I do know that this is not true. It is not as hard as you think to eat gluten free and it is fun to learn a new way to eat better for yourself. I would love to share some recent learnings!
My Mom got my interest in cooking started when I was young. I grew up in a military family and usually we lived “on base”. This meant our neighborhood was always hoppin’. In our house, we may have had 4 people for dinner or we may have 20 on a moment’s notice! Casseroles were a great food to keep on hand if you had a few extra mouths to feed.
SO, in an effort to combine my new love of a gluten free diet and my life-long love of casseroles, I have been trying to come up with some winners. So far, this one is a HIT in our house: I am calling this one Mary’s Baconflower Casserole. We use it primarily as a side to an entrée and it is just perfect for this time of year! Cauliflower casseroles are not a new concept, but they are definitely one that I would like to make a recurring theme in our house!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 head cauliflower
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 lb. bacon (scissor-cut into small slices)
- 1/3 cup favorite gluten free Bisquick
- 1 cup heavy cream 2/3 cup soy milk (you can use whole milk too)
- 3 ounces of gruyere (I bet it would be good with sharp cheddar too)
- pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray or oil your favorite 9x13 and set aside.
Start by getting a pot of water to a rolling boil (sprinkle in a little salt). Cut or break the stem off of your cauliflower and cut into 4 pieces. Then give it a rinse (it is much easier to get all of the dirt out this way) Use your hands and break the pieces into florets and place them in the boiling water. Leave them in for about 8 minutes, drain, set them to the side. Put them on some paper towels to dry off.
Cook your bacon (in scissor-cut slices) while cauliflower is boiling. Also, this is a good time to grate the cheese and set it to the side.
Layer the cauliflower in the casserole dish. Break apart into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula to evenly cover the bottom of your baker. Then put the cooked bacon on top of the cauliflower in the 9 x 13.
Next, put the GF flour into a mixing bowl. Whisk in each egg, one at a time, until you have a smooth liquid. Now add the cream and milk to this mixture and give it a good stir. Add in the nutmeg at this point and stir in completely. Add 2/3 of the grated cheese pile and keep stirring.
Pour your mixture over the top of the cauliflower in the baker. Now sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the casserole.
Bake about 25 minutes, or until it’s browned on top (check out the photo). This is delicious as a dinner side or all by itself!
I am hoping we can get some gluten free sharing started! Do you have any go-to gluten free recipes you would like to share? I would love to try them! Thank you for reading and more to come next week!
~ Mary D