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Better Than Potatoes Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

This super creamy mashed cauliflower puree is better than potatoes!  With plenty of garlicky flavor and none of the carbs, these delicious side dish is the perfect add on to any guilt free dinner!

Better Than Potatoes Creamy Mashed Cauliflower - Girl and the Kitchen

I loooove mashed potatoes.  A lot.  In fact, everyone in my family does.  And we like them creamy and silky…which means plenty of butter and half and half.

Not that that’s a bad thing.  But combining that much carbs with that much fat is a bad thing.  So I was on a mission to figure out how to make silky smashers that were not that calorie ridden.

By sheer accident I found it.

One night, as I was attempting to whip up a 30 minute meal, my munchkin decided to make jam out of her raspberries…with her hands and feet.  I took one look at her and saw that a bath was my only hope to get her clean of every last raspberry smudge.

Completely distracted by munchkin’s raspberry stained fingers, I forgot about the cauliflower that was boiling away on the stove.  And by the time I had put munchkin down to bed, I was exhausted and my cauliflower was mush.

So is my life.

I was about to dump them down the drain when I noticed munchkin’s leftover mashed potatoes and the light bulb went on.  What if I make faux mashed potatoes?

I strained the cauliflower.  Added some salt, pepper, half and half, butter, roasted garlic  and chives. Then I pureed them in my mini food processor into a creamy mess.  I took one bite and was hooked.  The mini food processor gave them the perfect texture.  The butter and roasted garlic gave it a smooth and almost sweet flavor.

Better Than Potatoes Creamy Mashed Cauliflower - Girl and the Kitchen

The ultimate test of course was the hubby.  I gave it to him with a roasted chicken breast for dinner and he scarfed them down.

And then said, ” I feel bad eating potatoes so late.”

A little grin crept over my face and I said, “well good thing you didn’t eat that many carbs!”  He was thrilled when I told him that there was zero carbs in there!

Hubs was thrilled that his ultimate comfort food had a healthy alternative.

These skinny smashers are a great way to change up a family favorite for any dinner night.

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Better Than Potatoes...Creamy Cauliflower Puree

Skinny Smashers


  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

This super creamy mashed cauliflower puree is better than potatoes!  With plenty of garlicky flavor and none of the carbs, these delicious side dish is the perfect add on to any guilt free dinner!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 whole head of cauliflower (cut up into florets)
  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 1 cup of half and half
  • 5 cloves of roasted garlic
  • 3 tbsp of chives or scallions (sliced)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Boil the cauliflower until it is fork tender. 
  2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the half and half and garlic on a low flame; keep warm.
  3. Strain the cauliflower in a colander or strainer so that there is no water left.
  4. For the actual mashing process, I have found that using a food processor or a Vitamix works really well to get them super creamy. But a regular smasher works well too if you put some elbow grease into it.
  5. Add half of the butter mixture to the cauliflower. Combine and see the consistency.
  6. Add in more butter and half and half if necessary. I like mine super creamy so I added it all in. Just add it in a bit at a time so the cauliflower gets a chance to absorb the liquids.
  7. Add in the chives and mix to combine.
  8. Taste for seasonings. Feel free to add any other ingredients you like. bacon pieces, cheese etc. Anything that tastes good in mashers will taste good in this!
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Appetizer or Side

Better Than Potatoes Creamy Mashed Cauliflower - Girl and the Kitchen

Originally published March 23rd 2013

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