WW Recipe of the Day: Slow Cooker Cheesy Cauliflower with Bacon
It's easy for me to fall into a rut where preparing vegetables are concerned.
So, when it came time to cook a huge head of cauliflower that had been sitting in the fridge for a while, I went out looking for a new way to prepare it.
Of course, I wanted something easy that I could make in the crock pot.
Recipe Notes
This slow cooker cheesy bacon cauliflower caught my eye, so I decided to give it a try.
And then I remembered how Mom would toss a couple slices of American cheese into her pot of just drained cauliflower to melt back when I was a kid.
Unfortunately, most cheese doesn't hold up well to long hours in the crock pot. Condensed cheddar cheese soup is another story.
I realize cooking with canned soup is totally uncool with the 100% real foods and trendy, hip cooking crowds, but I don't care. I've never been cool and cooking with canned soup can be fun and easy. And I've reached the age where cooking needs to be fun and easy if I'm to keep doing it 🙂
With just 4 ingredients, this slow cooker cheesy cauliflower is an easy, delicious side dish that requires minimal effort. Just toss everything into the crock pot and let it cook for a few hours, until the cauliflower is tender.
Are You Ready To Slow Cook Yourself Slim?
If you're looking for a tasty way to get your family to eat more vegetables, this slow cooker cheesy cauliflower may just be the trick. Who can resist cheese and bacon? Even Rod, who isn't a huge cauliflower fan, thought it was good.
The most difficult part this recipe is cutting the cauliflower into florets. I've included a video at the end of the post to help with the fear factor, but if it seems like too much work, you could always use frozen cauliflower instead.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Cheesy Cauliflower?
According to my calculations, each serving has only 55 calories and:
2 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
1 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
If you've made this Cheesy Cauliflower with Bacon, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- Salt and pepper
- 1 can (10-¾ ounces) light condensed cheddar cheese soup (I used Campbell's Healthy Request)
- 1 tablespoon instant tapioca (for thickening)
- ¼ cup crumbled real bacon bits
Instructions
- Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 3- to 4-Quart.
- Grease the inside of your slow cooker.
- Place the cauliflower in your slow cooker.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir together the soup and tapioca and spoon over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with the crumbled bacon bits.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 1-½ to 2-½ hours, or on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or until the cauliflower is tender.
Recipe Notes
Source: adapted from Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes (affiliate link) by Phyllis Good
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
How to Cut Cauliflower into Florets
If you like this recipe for Slow Cooker Cheesy Cauliflower you might also like:
- Slow Cooker Potato Cauliflower Soup
- Light Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower
- Slow Cooker Roasted Broccoli
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
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Charlene Crowder
Hi. I am really enjoying your website and your slow cooker series.
This recipe is in my Crock Pot right now. Would you mind sharing what brand tapioca you use? I looked for it in the store and wound up buying Kraft Minute Tapioca in an 8oz box. I'm thinking that it's not instant. 🙁 Are you talking about a little box like Jell O instant pudding? Hopefully what I used will "cook."
Martha McKinnon
Hi Charlene,
Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying the website and slow cooking series. I hope you enjoy the cauliflower.
Kraft minute tapioca is exactly what I use!! Makes me think I'll write about this in a future post to clear up any confusion.
Charlene Crowder
Oh, great! I'm glad I had the right stuff.
The cauliflower was fabulous. Honestly, I can't recall if I've ever actually cooked cauliflower before. I couldn't find any light cheese soup at Kroger today...so I just used the regular and accounted for the extra WW points. I'll have to look at other supermarkets to see if they carry the light version.
Thanks so much!
Martha McKinnon
Glad you liked the cauliflower, Charlene!
margaret
sounds great plan to try this week. I always buy the pre packaged cauliflower floretts found in the produce dept. Publix has them on sale this week 3bags for$5 I have also bought them at Wal Mart.
Theresa
I am looking forward to making this. When I use the cheese soup, do I mix it with water or milk first or just use it strait from the can?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Theresa,
Just use it straight from the can. It will thin out a it cooks because the cauliflower will release some water as it cooks. Hope this helps.
Vegas
This was very flavorful and better the next day. I will have to mix in the bacon as my husband skimmed the bacon and cheese off the top .....lol.