Cheesy mashed cauliflowers that taste like mac and cheese yet has texture similar to potatoes. Delicious and healthy yet still quick and easy, this is a great side to any main dish.
Okay, so I know these photos aren’t the best, but this recipe really is tasty. I’ve eaten it twice already.
To be honest, I wasn’t even planning to make this cheesy cauliflower mash at all. It was an accident, sort of. What I was trying to make was a cauliflower pizza crust, which still needs some work and won’t be posted for awhile.
Anyways, I had leftover grated cauliflower and I wanted to try something new. I remembered that back in November, around Thanksgiving, I came across so many recipes that talked about how wonderful of a substitute cauliflower was for potatoes. I thought maybe I could do something similar. My cauliflower wasn’t pureed so it wasn’t going to have the same consistency as mashed potatoes, but I could have something similar. I played around with cheese, salt, and seasoning. This cheesy cauliflower mash was the result.
Not everyone likes cauliflower, but they’re so good for you. Cauliflowers are filled with Vitamin C and other antioxidants that help reduce the risk of cancer. They also contain Vitamin K, an anti-inflammatory that can help keep the heart healthy. If you cook and season cauliflowers properly, they’ll taste delicious and you won’t even know that’s what you’re eating. If you have kids, this is the perfect way to get them to eat more vegetables.
First, cut up a head of cauliflower into fourths. My cauliflower was huge so I only needed a fourth. You’re welcome to use more. =)
I grated my raw cauliflower into small fine pieces. You’ll need about a cup of it. If you prefer a more mashed potato-y texture, you can put cooked cauliflower florets into a food processor or blender.
The grated cauliflower should look something like this.
Next, I placed the cauliflower into a bowl and into the microwave for about 8 minutes to cook them.
When they are done, I carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. Remember to be careful. It’s been in the microwave for 8 minutes. The cauliflower and the bowl will be super hot.
Mix in the shredded cheese and a pinch of salt and black pepper. I used a mixture of mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese, about a ½ cup each to make one cup. However, if you’re not a fan of cheese, you can add less. Or if you prefer a different type of cheese, that’s fine too.
Microwave for another 30 seconds to allow the cheese to melt. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning just for extra flavor if you want.
That’s it! It’s soo tasty. This cheesy dish tastes like it’s a cross between mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Two comfort food in one!
Serve the cheesy cauliflower mash warm and enjoy!
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Or you could skip the whole grating step completely and just do everything else! MMMmmmm, love me some cheesy cauliflower!!! 😉 xo
Definitely would be a lot easier! lol
Hehe… 😉
This looks amazing! Cheese is my favorite ingredient ever. 🙂
Thank you!
This looks wonderful. it looks like I may have to give Cauliflower a second try.
I hope you’ll like it if you do try it =)
If someone wanted to stay away from using the microwave could this be done easily enough in the oven? I am thinking of something that would be along the same lines as baked mack and cheese with the bread crumbs on top…..?
I think you can do it in the oven too. I haven’t tried that method yet, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’m just not sure how long you would put it in for.
Or maybe you can boil the cauliflower, process it in the food processor or a blender so that it’s crumbly. Top it with cheese and stick it in the oven for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt. I think that should work too.
Hope that helps =)
Thanks! Now the question is if I can get my husband to even think about trying this.
lol! I made just enough for myself and had my sisters try a spoonful to see if they liked it.
Looks amazing. A great alternative to heavier comfort food!
Thanks!
This looks so healthy (and yummy) a great way to eat more veg!
Jen@www.healthyglobetrotter.com
Thanks, Jen! It’s exactly what I was going for.
Oh dear Lord, Andrea! You always come up with brilliant yet easy recipes like this! I so wanna kiss you now LOL *no lesbo*. Can’t wait to try this 😀
Oh dear Lord, Andrea! You always come up with brilliant yet easy recipe like this! I so wanna kiss you now LOL *no lesbo*. Can’t wait to try this 😀
lol! I really hope you’ll like it if you end up making it. I want to keep the recipes as easy as possible for people who don’t have time to cook but want something different and relatively healthy. And thanks for such a nice compliment!
I will try this for dinner tonight! Looks nyummy and I am surprise how easy it is..
Thank you! I’d love to know what you think if you try it =)
It was nice. I used Dutch old cheese so perhaps I should not use any salt 🙂 But other than that, it is a good combination with my main dish, goulash. Thanks again!
I have never used Dutch old cheese so I don’t know how it tastes like. But with salt, I always tell people to add it to taste. We all like different levels of saltiness. =) Thank you soo much for trying out the recipe and letting me know what you think!
Yummmmmm….I’ve just discovered cauliflower as something other than just a steamed veg. I made cauliflower rice to go with curry the other night and now there’s this! 🙂
I had extra cauliflower leftover so I used it as rice as well. It really works!