Slow-Cooked Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 serving olive oil cooking spray
• 1 link sweet apple chicken sausage (such as Trader Joes®), cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 6 ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese
• 4 slices bacon

Step 1

Giv your slow cooker a quick spray with some cooking spray to keep things from sticking. In a small skillet, spray a bit more cooking spray and cook the sausage over medium heat until it’s nicely browned, which should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the sausage to the slow cooker. Add the cauliflower, cream cheese, butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Give everything a good stir to mix it all together.

Step 2

Cover the slow cooker and let it cook on low for around 2 hours, or until the cauliflower is tender when poked with a fork. After that, stir in the pepper Jack cheese and let it cook for another 30 minutes to melt the cheese through.

Step 3

While the casserole is finishing up, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Turn it occasionally so it browns evenly and gets nice and crispy—this usually takes about 10 minutes. Once done, drain the bacon on some paper towels, then crumble it up once it’s cool enough to handle. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the casserole just before serving for a tasty crunch.