A slightly more elegant way to eat roasted cauliflower is by mashing it once it’s done roasting. It’s a hard decision – eat roasted cauliflower trees, or mash ’em up. Mashing them does make it easier on the belly (if that’s an issue), and it’s one way to have a plate of garlicky, creamy mashed.
I added thyme to the cauliflower before roasting, but you can keep it simple by using just the garlic and olive oil. I like a bit of Parmesan cheese with my mashed cauliflower, so I sprinkle some of that in at the end, in the blending phase.
I probably don’t need to suggest ways to eat this, but in case you’re looking for ideas, this goes great in a shepherd’s pie, with roasted meats (if you eat meat of course), and other green roasted or lightly sauteed vegetables, like spinach and kale.
Mashed Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower head
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or other oil, or ghee or unsalted butter)
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme (optional)
- warm water or milk (dairy-free milk such as almond or coconut milk)
Method
- Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 4).
- Slice the cauliflower into pieces and add it all to a mixing bowl.
- Add olive oil, salt, and garlic to the bowl, and blend well to fully coat the cauliflower.
- Place the cauliflower on a cookie sheet, and in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until they are browning around the edges.
- Take the cauliflower out of the oven, and place in a blender.
- Add about 1 to 2 cups of very warm water (or milk) to the blender. You’ll be the judge of how much water to add based on how you like your mashed cauliflower.
- Blend until it is the consistency you like.
- Eat!
I made these last night, using butter and milk like I normally do with my mashed potatoes. Delicious! These will be an excellent addition to our low carb meals. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great to hear. Yes, it works well the traditional way too 🙂
Is there a reason you use water for blending? Would nondairy milk also work? I want these to be as close to mashed potatoes as possible! Thanks!
You can use dairy-free milk or water. At the time I wrote this, I was not making dairy-free milk on a regular basis, so water was just easier. 🙂 I added it to the recipe. Thanks!
Thank you! I ended up using water and then adding 1 oz cream cheese.
OMG! We made these tonight and they were SO GOOD! Mashed potatoes no longer exist in my world.
This looks delicious Erica! I made your zucchini fritters yesterday and they were great too – and a fab way to use up our zucchini that are going from tiny to HUGE as we watch! Thank you.
Thanks Janet! You have zucchini growing right now?!
Hi Erica. Greetings from a windy, but very warm New Zealand. Yes, we are up to our ears in zucchini at the moment. I swear you can actually watch them growing! 🙂
They are prolific during the warm growing season here too! Best wishes from Seattle, WA!
So many food bloggers are from Seattle… a place I have longed to visit (since the tv program in the 70’s). What IS IT about Seattle? 🙂