Mashed Cauliflower

I indulge with sweets so the rest of my diet needs to be healthy. Everything in moderation, right? It’s hard to find healthy dishes that honestly taste delicious so when I find one that I adore I simply must share. 🙂

This may look like mashed potatoes, but it’s really mashed cauliflower. It’s lovely smooth consistency mirrors mashed potatoes, but it stands on its own in the taste department.

Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
(4 Servings)

Ingredients:

1 bag (20 ounce bag) frozen cauliflower
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil.
Add the cauliflower and cook it in the boiling water for 6 minutes, or until tender.
Strain the cauliflower really well.
In a food processor, add the cauliflower, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until smooth.
Serve immediately.

Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

I used frozen cauliflower but you could certainly use fresh. Once you’ve cooked the cauliflower, strain it really well. You’re going for a thick consistency with this recipe so any water that ends up in the food processor will make your mashed cauliflower come out runny. Also, I found it’s easiest to work with the cauliflower when it’s hot (i.e. as soon as you are done straining it).

The rest is all up to your handy dandy food processor. It’s super simple to add the ingredients and let it do all the work for you. Let it run until it have a smooth consistency.

Cauliflower alone can taste bland, but the addition of cream cheese, garlic, and Parmesan cheese add lovely flavors to the dish. I garnished the mashed cauliflower with fresh chives, again adding more flavor and a dash of bright color.

This tasty low carb side dish pairs with any meat, poultry, fish entree, or anything else mashed potatoes go well with.