Cauliflower Rice Mushroom Casserole is a delicious healthy side side served all year! Great to serve as a dinner for meatless Monday! Weight Watchers friendly- 7 SmartPoints!
It really is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is over a week away. This time of year, it’s hard not to spend time reflecting on the blessings of the past year and give thanks… and EAT! When it comes to Thanksgiving food, my favorites are the sides (sorry turkey, you didn’t make the cut). I could eat just a plate of the sides and be happy! My Cauliflower Rice Mushroom Casserole is the perfect healthy side for any holiday meal. Layers of cauliflower, mushrooms, and brown rice mixed with a cheese gravy and topped with a crunch… So delicious and creamy you wouldn’t believe that it’s actually healthy! Cauliflower Rice Mushroom Casserole is a must to add to your new holiday side dishes! This is a Weight Watcher friendly recipe and each serving is 7 SmartPoints.
2016 has been the BEST year of my life; I have so many people to be thankful for and a lot much to be grateful for this year. In a nutshell in 2016, I got married to my best friend and true love, moved to Indianapolis to start a new life, went on an amazing honeymoon in Costa Rica, started THIS BLOG, and had so many fun times with friends and family that I will never forget. What I’m truly thankful for is all the support my family and friends gave my husband and me when we decided to take a huge leap of faith to leave our home in Texas and move to the Midwest.
While it might seem odd for us to leave a cool (as in hip) city in Texas and move to a “cool” (as in cold) city, we made this move to better the future of our family and improve our quality of life. Our family and friends supported us in our decision and the gratitude for that is endless. I guess that means we have some amazing friends and family!
Thanksgiving has changed for me over the last few years, which tends to happen once you get into a relationship with a partner who also has a big family. This year will be way different for my husband and me. Instead of driving 40 minutes to visit family, we will driving 9+ hours to visit family. When we moved to Indy, we knew that while we were leaving some of our family in Texas, we were going to be closer to other family in Maryland & D.C. We are both really excited for this trip, especially me because I’ve never been to this area before! I’m also excited to spend Thanksgiving with family that I haven’t spent the holiday with yet. Different traditions and different food than what I have experienced before.
I’ve been with my husband for almost 3 years and since we’ve been together, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving with his side of the family. Even though his family has different traditions than my family, they still celebrate Thanksgiving and EAT. Everyone eats! It’s been fun over the years seeing the dishes his family brings to Thanksgiving. I always like to contribute to the meal, whether it be a dessert dish or a side dish. A while back I was thinking about what side dish I could bring this year. I wanted to make some sort of casserole and put a healthy twist on it, because that’s what I do! One of my favorite side dishes is broccoli rice casserole. It’s SO GOOD.
Cauliflower has been all the rage the past few years, but I never see this vegetable make it do the dinner table at Thanksgiving so I wanted to pay tribute to one of my favorite vegetables. For my cauliflower casserole, I decided to add mushrooms because they add a good meaty flavor to the casserole… and I love mushrooms. To lighten the casserole up, I used brown rice instead of white rice. This casserole has a few steps to make it, but I’m telling you, it’s worth it!
To start, cut the cauliflower into florets then boil them for about 20 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender. While the cauliflower is boiling, cook the brown rice according to the package instructions. For the mushrooms, I like to buy pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms. I actually prefer to dice the mushrooms up a little bit, but you can leave that step out if you want bigger pieces of mushrooms. Once the cauliflower and rice are cooked, add them to a big bowl along with the mushrooms.
What really makes this casserole Thanksgiving side dish worthy, is the cheese gravy. Yep, cheese GRAVY! To make the gravy, melt a few tablespoons of butter then add white whole wheat flour. Whisk and cook for a minute or two. Next add milk and whisk. This is what makes the gravy. After the milk has thickened, add shredded Gruyere cheese and mix until all the cheese is melted. Finally, add the cheese gravy to the bowl of veggies and stir. Cheese gravy! So darn good y’all. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle the top with shredded Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. All in all, the prep for this dish is about 30 minutes. The dish will bake for about 20 minutes. The great thing about this dish is that it can easily be made ahead of time, like even a day before!
Another great thing about this casserole is that it’s delicious. You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to eat this… you can eat it ANY TIME OF YEAR :). The ingredients are not seasonal so it’s totally acceptable to make this casserole dish for a Fourth of July party… I’m just sayin…
A must to add to your new holiday side dishes! Layers of cauliflower, mushrooms, and brown rice mixed with a cheese gravy and topped with a crunch… So delicious and creamy you wouldn’t believe that it’s actually healthy! This casserole is great for any holiday meal and great to make all year round! Perfect to serve as a dinner for meatless Monday! Weight Watchers friendly and 7 SmartPoints per serving!
I hope you enjoy these bites of flavor!

Cauliflower Rice Mushroom Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 Small Heads Cauliflower
- 8 Ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 1 Cup Cooked Brown Rice
- 2 Tablespoons Light Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Shallot
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons White Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 ½ Cups 2% Milk
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
- ½ Cup Breadcrumbs
- ½ Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- ½ Cup Shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Clean cauliflower and cut the center bottom to remove the stem and leaf parts.
- Dice cauliflower into chunks and put into a large pot. Fill pot with water to cover the cauliflower.
- Top with fresh cracked salt and pepper.
- Cover pot with lid and boil cauliflower for about 25 minutes until tender.
- Drain in a colander.
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
- Mince garlic and set aside.
- Mince shallot and set aside.
- Add butter to skillet over medium heat, then add shallots.
- Sauté for a few minutes, then add garlic. Sauté for another minute.
- Add flour and whisk for 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in milk and whisk until no clumps. Turn heat to low to let sauce thicken.
- Add in spices and gruyere cheese until melted.
- In a large bowl, mix cooked cauliflower, cooked rice, mushrooms, and cheese sauce. Mix well.
- Spray 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray and pour in cauliflower mixture into dish. Spread to even layer.
- Top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
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29 Comments
Emily Davis
November 15, 2016 at 4:05 pm YUM! Making this!Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:47 am YAY! Thanks so much Emily!Sherry
November 15, 2016 at 4:19 pm Yum! This looks fabulous! My son has recently been obsessed with all things mushroom so I'll definitely add this to our meal plan for the next week. Thanks for sharing. :)Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:46 am Anything with mushrooms has my name on it! I hope you try this one soon. Thanks so much for commenting Sherry!bianca
November 15, 2016 at 4:27 pm I LIVE for cauliflower....and anything that will get people to eat, I'm all for!Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:46 am Yes! This is a great recipe for people that say they don't like cauliflower! Thanks so much for commenting Bianca!Kandja Sylla
November 15, 2016 at 6:35 pm This is incredible! I like that not only it look so delicious, it also looks so healthy. Bookmarking this recipe. xx http://www.prettyweirdbombshell.com/super-easy-trout-recipe/Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:45 am The best of both worlds: healthy and delicious!! Thanks so much for commenting Kandja!Kim @ Three Olives Branch
November 15, 2016 at 9:03 pm Great idea! I am loving cauliflower, this looks wonderful! Kim @ Three Olives Branch recently posted...Chocolate Hazelnut Coffee RollsKristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:45 am Thanks Kim!!Jennifer
November 15, 2016 at 10:29 pm Cauliflower is my newest obsession! I have some waiting in the fridge and I think this recipe is a winner!Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:44 am I'm obsessed too! I hope you try this recipe out soon. Thanks so much for commenting Jennifer!Leanne
November 15, 2016 at 10:32 pm I love cauliflower rice but this recipe takes it to the next level.Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:44 am The mushrooms and cheese gravy definitely put it over the top! Thanks so much for commenting Leanne!Jaymie
November 15, 2016 at 10:52 pm I'm always on the look out for cauliflower rice recipes! This looks beyond delicious and great step by step tips!Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:43 am I hope you try this one soon! Thanks so much for commenting Jaymie!Janet
November 16, 2016 at 12:57 am I'm a newly vegan! I will be trying this. Great post.Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:43 am That's great!!! So many great dishes to eat and make on a vegan diet. Thanks so much for commenting Janet!Travel Pockets (Crystal)
November 16, 2016 at 9:29 am I've been getting into cauliflower lately, so I'll have to try out this recipe for sure!Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 9:42 am There are so many great cauliflower dishes out there! I hope you try this one soon. Thanks so much for commenting Crystal!patrick
November 16, 2016 at 11:51 am yummy! cauliflower and cheese are a winning combo!! patrick recently posted...Roasted Carrots, Onion, and Fennel with a Spiced Sherry VinaigretteAli B
November 16, 2016 at 11:56 am This looks delicious! I am always looking for a new side dish! Ali B recently posted...Book Review ~Tasting RomeKristine
November 16, 2016 at 12:55 pm Thank you Ali!!Mary Burris
November 16, 2016 at 1:18 pm This looks absolutely delicious! I bet it tastes wonderful! Mary Burris recently posted...The Secrets That You KeepKristine
November 16, 2016 at 4:38 pm It is delicious!! Thanks so much for commenting Mary!Kirsten Orte
November 16, 2016 at 2:15 pm I just had cauliflower nachos the other day and they were way better than I expected. Recipes with cauliflower continue to surprise me! Will be trying this! I've actually started a brand new linkup that focuses on health/wellness/fitness and I'd love for you to drop a link there! I'm trying to gain some exposure on it and I have really high hopes for it! No stress, but would really appreciate it! http://www.thewanderingbrunette.com/fit-tuesday/Kristine
November 16, 2016 at 4:41 pm Me to Kirsten! Almost every cauliflower recipe I've made or tried has been great! I'd love to hear more about your linkup... can you send me an email with information? Thanks so much for commenting!Jenna
November 22, 2016 at 9:14 am What a great idea for a healthier holiday side!Kristine
November 22, 2016 at 9:42 am Thank you Jenna!