Looking for a healthy alternative to creamy, butter laden mashed potatoes? I’ve got you. This recipe for roasted garlic mashed cauliflower will make you forget all about your love for spuds. These are creamy and hearty with a delicious roasted garlic flavor. You won’t feel like you are missing out on simple carbs, trust me!
Why mashed cauliflower?
My husband is now on a diet. This happens from time to time, but I usually am a bad influence and I make something really good that he can’t resist then he kind of falls off of it. This time, I’m determined to make sure he can eat healthy food that’s so delicious and flavorful he won’t feel like he’s on a diet.
So I made a healthier slow cooker bbq beef brisket that turned out AMAZING by the way- I highly urge you to subscribe for updates for when that recipe is unleashed onto the world. And tempted as I was to make these perfect creamy mashed potatoes on the side, I resisted. Cauliflowers have been subbing for rice since the birth of low carb diets, so I knew they’d make a good replacement for mashed potatoes.
They did! When I asked my husband what he thought he said “These are reaaaally good. But they taste like cauliflower”. So don’t expect any miracles. Mashed cauliflower is obviously going to taste like cauliflower but trust me, that is not a bad thing at all!
How to add flavor to cauliflower:
However, we don’t want our mashed cauliflower to taste like plain steamed cauliflower. That’s why we make roasted garlic mashed cauliflower. All the below help add some extra flavor:
Sour cream for a little tang and creaminess- we barely need to add any!
Parmesan cheese which gives us an undertone of flavor. Cheese makes everything better. I like to use fresh grated.
Salt, pepper, and nutmeg: The nutmeg is optional, but I think it adds a little something something.
And of course the star of the meal is the roasted garlic! If you don’t want to go through that effort, you can sauté a couple cloves of garlic in olive oil, then use this cooked garlic in the mashed cauliflower instead.
How to roast garlic:
You need to remove any excess papery skin from around the head of garlic, but keep the skin that directly covers the garlic cloves. Cut a thin slice off the top of the garlic (not the pointy bottom end) just to expose the top of the cloves. Drizzle generously with olive oil. This is then wrapped with foil to make a little bundle, and placed on a baking tray in a hot 200 C (400 F) oven for 30-40 minutes or until garlic is tender and browned. If you don’t like foil to come into contact with your food in the oven, first wrap the garlic with parchment paper then foil. The garlic will turn sweeter and creamy, and will easily be squeezed out of the cloves into the cauliflower mash. Do wait until it’s cool enough to handle though!
You can definitely prepare this in advance- roasted garlic lasts up to one week in the fridge.
How to make the mashed cauliflower:
You need to cook the cauliflower till tender. I chose to steam it but you can also boil it for 10 minutes. Whatever method you choose, drain thoroughly before pureeing.
To make the creamiest mash, you need to use a food processor or blender. Your entire head of florets won’t fit at once, so put about half in, blend, then add the remaining pieces. Then the rest of your ingredients go in (sour cream, seasoning, parmesan cheese). Lastly, you can either puree in or just stir through the squeezed garlic cloves.
Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
For the roasted garlic:
- 1 head garlic
- 1-2 teaspoon olive oil
For the cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tbs sour cream
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch nutmeg, optional
Instructions
To roast the garlic:
- Preheat the oven to 200 C (400F).
- Remove the extra papery skin from outside the garlic head, keeping the inner layer of skin that covers the cloves. Cut a very thin slice off the top of the garlic head (about 1/4 inch) just to expose the top of the cloves.
- Drizzle the exposed garlic cloves generously with olive oil. Wrap the garlic heads tightly in aluminium foil (if you don't like baking with foil, first wrap them in parchment paper then foil to avoid the foil touching the garlic directly. Place on a baking sheet or in a loaf pan in the hot oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cloves are browned and softened. Set the roasted head of garlic aside to cool while you prepare your cauliflower.
For the cauliflower:
- Bring a pot of water (a few inches of water) to a boil and fit with a steamer basket. Place the cauliflower florets in the steamer basket, then tightly cover the pot and steam for 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender.
- Place the steamed cauliflower (in batches, half at a time) to the bowl of a food processor and process on high until cauliflower has pureed into a mash. Add the sour cream, parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg is using, and process further until cauliflower is creamy.
- Squeeze about 1/2 the roasted garlic head into the cauliflower mash and stir or process further to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Nutrition
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Dannii says
We love cauliflower mash for a low carb option.
Farah Abumaizar says
It’s great isn’t it!
Mahy says
I mean, you could never tell this is cauliflower mash – it looks absolutely stunning. It’s always great to have some alternatives to classic recipes, so keeping this one on hand just in case.
Farah Abumaizar says
Thanks Mahy! So glad to hear that!
Tisha says
Great low carb alternative to a comfort food classic! Great flavors!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
I am loving the look of this!! I don’t buy cauliflower nearly enough, so this would be a great switch up from my normal mashed potato routine.
Sara Welch says
The best way to enjoy potatoes in my opinion! Looking forward to serving these up for Thanksgiving, indeed!