I’ve been experimenting with mashed cauliflower as a hearty side dish but have been disappointed by how watery it often turns out. More like cauliflower soup than mashed cauliflower!! Finally, after much searching, I found a recipe that solved the “too watery” problem & produced amped-up flavor. This upgraded mashed cauliflower is now in my regular dinner rotation. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 med cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 T butter, melted
- 1 t garlic powder
- ¼ c Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 t olive oil
- Green onions and/or parsley, chopped for garnish
Fill a large pot with about 2 c of water & bring to a boil. Place a steamer basket in the bottom of the pot or a wire strainer on top of the pot. Add cauliflower florets into the steamer basket or wire strainer. Cover pot & steam until the cauliflower is fork tender (6-8 min). If using wire strainer, stir once or twice during steaming.
Remove from heat, uncover the pot & let cauliflower cool down & dry out for 5 min.
Place steamed cauliflower in bowl & slowly start to mash the cauliflower with an immersion blender. (You could also blend in a blender…but this might be a bit more difficult at the start.) It’ll be a bit difficult to blend at start, but the cauliflower will eventually release a bit of liquid & the mashing process will get easier.
When the cauliflower is completely smooth, add butter, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt, ground black pepper & stir well to combine. Garnish with black pepper, olive oil & parsley and/or green onions.
Recipe adapted from Perfect Mashed Cauliflower Recipe – Primavera Kitchen.