I’m unintentionally on a cabbage family spree. You may appreciate cauliflower with this recipe because it’s so simple to prepare, and avoids the starch that accompanies potatoes. It would be a shame not to share this recipe in case someone hasn’t discovered it yet.
When steamed and mashed, cauliflower makes a great base for comfort food, especially stews and slow-cooked marinades. Or it’s great with some butter, salt, and grated cheese on top.
You can make it like creamy mashed potatoes, or slightly lumpy mashed potatoes. For the creamy version, blend on a high speed, and for the lumpy version (in the picture above) pulse on a low setting in a blender, just enough to leave it a little lumpy.
Tip On rare occasions, I buy purple, orange, or green cauliflower. And the orange cauliflower has quite a bit more vitamin C than the other colors.
Mashed “Potatoes”
Ingredients
- one medium head of cauliflower (cut up or whole)
- about 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (I’m currently in love with this butter) (you can use your favorite oil if you prefer)
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt (or to taste, plus pepper)
- about 2 tablespoons of grated cheese is optional and very tasty! (sharp cheddar is my fave with this)
Preparation
- Set up a steamer. You could just boil the cauliflower, but steaming does a better job of retaining flavor and nutrients. I use a steam basket in a large saucepan with the cover on top. Just fill the saucepan with water below the steamer level and set to a low to medium heat. You can also use a rice steamer, bamboo steamer, or other steaming setup you may have. The only requirement is that the water should not touch the food.
- Cut up the cauliflower into florets before steaming, or just steam it whole. Steam the head of cauliflower for about 15 minutes, or until you can run a fork through it fairly easily.
- Cool the cauliflower for a bit and then place it in a blender with butter (or oil). I sometimes add a few tablespoons of water (or you can add your favorite milk) to make it easier to blend). Finally, add salt and pepper (and cheese if you want to).
- Blend until it is the consistency you prefer. Use a slow speed for lumpy mashed, and a high speed for creamy mashed.
- Eat now, or store it in the refrigerator and reheat.
I love Mashed Cauliflower. I was so happy to discover this once I started my low-starch diet. I first used it as part of a Shephards Pie substitution, though I use a little more butter. I think it tastes very close to the real thing.
I also make a 50-50 mix with real mashed potatoes for my fiance since she would rather have the real thing.
I made this a while ago, and it’s really good! I can’t have dairy, so I flavor it with olive oil, garlic, and a bit of sea salt. Good stuff. 🙂