Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower
March 3rd, 2011 § 31 Comments
Don’t let anyone fool you, mashed cauliflower on its own always tastes a bit wet and cabbagey. And gritty. I understand why people make it, I do. It’s mock mashed potatoes… faux-tatoes for a fraction of the calories.
Cauliflower is super healthy, low calorie, and can be pretty darn delicious as a side, cozied up next to meatloaf, or tucked under stroganoff. But it doesn’t have that same silkiness, that same smooth fluffiness that a mashed potato does. It’s squashier. And if you haven’t already noted it, I do make up words in my spare time. I also think about the dynamic science and structure of mashed potatoes. I have loads of friends.
In an effort to make something light and lovely texture-wise, I combined the two. The cauliflower keep things light, while the potatoes lend to a nice pasty mash to keep things smooshed together. Then I added two of my favorite ingredients to enrich the flavor and make the dish feel less like the poor man’s buttery mashed potato, and more like a unique, healthy spin on comfort food. Sour cream and parmesan cheese. Both give these guys a smooth, creamy richness. A buttery and satisfying smoothness.
Here’s how they’re made:
Fill a large pot with about an inch and a half of water. Place your steamer basket inside and fill with one head of cauliflower, cut up, and one large russet potato, peeled and chopped into pieces roughly the same size as the cauliflower florets. *Note: Trim as much of the cauliflower stem off of the florets as possible. This will help to make them smoother and less cabbage-like in consistency when mashed.
Steam the florets and potatoes until very tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain well. Return the vegetables to the empty pot on the stovetop with the heat turned off. Let them stand for about 3 minutes. The moisture will evaporate as the veggies sit in the hot, dry pot, making them better for mashing.
Add 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese. Mash until smooth and well combined. The heat of the mix will melt the cheese. Serve with freshly minced chives.
Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower
serves 4
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets, trimmed of as much of the stems as possible
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
Fill a large pot with about an inch and a half of water. Fit with a steamer basket and place the cauliflower and potatoes inside. Cover and steam until very tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return the cooked vegetables to the empty pot on the stove top with the heat turned off. Allow them to stand for about 3 minutes to dry. Add sour cream, parmesan, salt, and pepper, and mash until smooth and well-combined. Serve with freshly minced chives.
Nutrition info for 1 serving: Calories: 127.2, Fat: 4.5g, Cholesterol: 9.3mg, Carb: 18.2g, Fiber: 4.3g, Sugar: 0.6g, Protein: 5.8g
we seem to share the love for wordinventerism and cauliflower
and brown onions… but the texture was a bit .. meh. Added spuds might just be it.
my favourite recipe still is cauliflower & pear salad but I must try the spudsmash version. have tried a mash recipe with parmesan, and butter – to counter the general healthiness
thanks for sharing
LOVE the idea of a cauli-pear salad Teena! I’ll be sure to try it! Just roasted cauliflower in that?
actually just blanched.. or steamed.. but roasted sounds great. must try.. with roasted pine nuts too…
thanks for the idea
yummmm. just made some last week. I like the idea of throwing in a few potatoes and the parmesan. I like the greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute too!
Yum! The best of both worlds!
honestly, when i saw the title of this post, i was almost about to move on to a different entry in google reader and somehow. SOMEHOW you have managed to sell me on this. HOW DO YOU DO IT?
i am definitely going to have to make meatloaf next week. and mashed cauliflower. (what an annoying word to spell)
fake words rock.
Thanks Haya!!
I love cauliflower mash, but the only way my husband will eat it is if it’s mixed with potatoes. And, of course, a lot of cheese. Yours looks so good!
Thanks Tracey!
I actually managed to get my father, who hates anything new and different, to try some mashed cauliflower! I added in some potato flakes (yes i know, bad me) last minute to get the right consistency, but he loved them. he even went back for seconds! I can’t wait to try these out on my boyfriend. He’ll probably eat the whole cauliflower before I get it cooked, though.
I love stories like this! It reminds me of times when I’ve gotten my family to love things they, at first thought, might have shunned. Thanks!
I have been making mashed cauliflower for a few months now. I also add low-fat shredded cheese. I have always explained to my friends that it is kind of like cheesy grits with the texture. I will now try the potato with it for a smoother texture. Sometimes I will use greek yogurt instead of sour cream, depending on what I have on hand.
What a great recipe – wonder if I could get these past my hubby. Maybe just dish them up as “mashed potatoes” and wait for the reaction.
Mandy
This looks great. I want to try making these and zuchini pasta. I need more veggies in my life!
Mmm…I think parmesan is the most perfect addition to cauliflower. I can’t believe I never thought of doing this! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I can’t wait to make some.
For months now I have been wanting to try Mashed Cauliflower but I always forget once I am at the grocery store. That looks really yummy.
Thanks Megan!
I just bought cauliflower today – I’m totally making these for dinner tomorrow. I bet they are wonderfully creamy and delish!
Yay! Thanks Katie!
Sounds seriously YUMMY!
[...] Moms Meatloaf for Two with Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower and Steamed [...]
You should have a fb/twitter/digg/reddit/#whereeverelseIcanpostit share buttons!
Adding some garlic couldn’t hurt! It all sounds good to me.
Am going to try to trick my friend’s mom into eating vegetables with this recipe. Yum!
Came out amazing, I realized my sour cream went… sour so I just subbed in some milk. And I didn’t cut off all the stalks to the cauliflower because I just don’t follow directions and they did come out a little cabbage-y. Still good though and considering the way I cook pretty fool-proof
I didn’t tell my family this was mostly cauliflower. My husband couldn’t even tell the difference until I pointed it out! I’m making this at least monthly now. Thank you so much for giving me mashed potatoes I don’t feel guilty about.
[...] med at lave mos af blomkål og kartofler har jeg endnu en gang fået fra Can You Stay For Dinner?, og det er helt genialt! Jeg kunne helt seriøst ikke smage blomkålen deri, og den [...]
I know I’m late to the table, but Thanksgiving is coming and I think THESE will be my mashed potatoes this year! Son and I are trying to eat healthier BUT we also like things to taste good — this seems like it’ll fit the bill
I’m a big-time mashed potatoes gal, so these look wonderful. Anytime I see “faux-tatoes,” though, I wonder to myself if parsnips would be a better bet instead. Mainly because my husband hates cauliflower.
Your thoughts….?
Ooo, parsnips would work! I think the flavor would be sharper, a little spicier though. Which could actually be a great thing
andie
[...] recipes that I tried are the Honey Barbecue Meatloaf, and the Parmesan Cauliflower Mash. They were absolutely delicious, and I was even more excited that I have found some healthy side [...]
I am not a cook. I am not even one of those people who says they can’t cook…but they really can. BUT….I am determined to be better, do better and get healthy. All while tricking my mind and taste buds into thinking that I’m eating mashed potatoes!!! So I made these tonight and WHAT A HIT!!! So delish and my Handsome loved them too!!! I can’t believe I made something so yummy.
Oh, I forgot to buy sour cream so I just used a splash of milk-still delish!!!!
Thank you so much for making me into a veggie eater!!
XO