No Noodle Sausage & Sour Cream Bake

This recipe was inspired by Ree Drummond's Sour Cream Noodle Bake, but I wanted more zip and didn't want the noodles.  When I first tried my version on my family, they loved it and couldn't believe there was cauliflower in it and no rice. 

Note:  A very important step is removing as much moisture as you in the cauliflower.  If you don't do that, your casserole ends up soupy!  


No Noodle Sausage & Sour Cream Bake

• 1 lb. Italian sausage (beef, pork, turkey... any is fine)
• 1 - 15 oz. can stewed organic tomatoes or about 2 C fresh or home-canned tomatoes, cut into small chunks
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/2 of a medium-sized head of cauliflower, cut up into small flowerettes (about 4-5 C)
• 1/3 C sour cream
• 1-1/4 C cottage cheese
• 1/2 C sliced green onions
• Optional: 1-2 C fresh chopped spinach
• 1 C grated cheddar cheese
• Salt if needed

1. Bring a large kettle of salted water to a boil.
2. Add cauliflower and cook until tender.  Drain and allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, brown sausage.  Add tomatoes and cook until all the excess moisture has evaporated.  Set aside.
4. Mash cooked cauliflower until about the size of rice.
5. Place mashed cauliflower in a clean tea towel or other non-fuzzy towel.  Squeeze as much of the excess water out as you can.  You'll end up with something that looks like a lump of mashed potatoes. 
6. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream with cottage cheese.  Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.  Add to cauliflower and stir.  Add green onions and stir.  If adding spinach, stir that in now, too.
7. In a 9x9" pan, layer:  1/2 the cauliflower mixture, 1/2 of the meat mixture, then sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese.  Repeat.
8. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is all melted.