Paleo-Friendly Sausage and Cauliflower Casserole

Who doesn’t love a good casserole? Far as I’m concerned, that’s what we have winter for. On a frosty day, there’s nothing better than coming home to a big pan of creamy, cheesy, yum baking in the oven. It’s an edible hug. However, if you’re following any sort of Paleo plan, casseroles aren’t exactly on your radar. Until now. This has to be the best Paleo Friendly casserole ever invented. Seriously good stuff.

Made with sausage, onions, tomato sauce, ricotta—and cauliflower in place of the pasta—it’s a delicious stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Healthy comfort food at its best!!

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

2 Tbs olive oil

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

One 28-ounce can of pasta sauce, I like Hunts Garlic and Herb (of course you can make your sauce from scratch, if you prefer.

1 15-ounce container of ricotta

A sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F

2. After removing the stem and leaves of the cauliflower, add the whole head to a pan filled with a half of cup of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and cook for five minutes.

3. Once it has cooled, cut into bite-sized pieces, don’t worry about style points here.

4. In a large sauté pan, add the sausage, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Cooking until it is very brown.

5. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic to pan and continue to sauté until the onion has begun to wilt, maybe five minutes.

6. Stir in the tomato, salt and pepper, and cook for an additional five minutes.

7. In a large bowl, combine the sausage mixture, chopped cauliflower and half of the ricotta and pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole pan, spreading as you go.

8. Taking the rest of the ricotta, distribute spoonfuls on the top of the sausage mixture, sprinkle with parmesan, and bake for 40 minutes or until sauce has began to bubble. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!