Mashed potatoes was one of my favorite sides before I transitioned to the keto lifestyle. There are tons of recipes out there swapping out the cauliflower for potatoes for a keto friendly low carb alternative. Even the big food manufacturers are getting in on the trend like Green Giant has mashed cauliflower in the freezer section at most grocery stores. I have found that these brands versions taste a little bland.
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One of my favorite recipes is one that closely tastes like potatoes that I call Keto cheesy baked mashed cauliflower. The secret is in the ingredients like Parmesan, sour cream and cream cheese. These additions make the mashed cauliflower a bit thicker to resemble the texture of mashed potatoes. This version is a baked mashed cauliflower topped with cheddar cheese. I also add a bit of Italian seasoning into the mix.
I also leverage parts of this recipe making a spiced Indian version that mimics a popular potato curry called cauliflower sabji. This can be paired with keto versions of Indian breads like my keto poori or keto garlic naan.
Steaming the Cauliflower
The first step is to get the cauliflower soft and there are two methods described below to accomplish this.
METHOD 1: STEAM IN THE MICROWAVE
I usually use a Pasta Boat with a steamer attachment to seperate the water from the cauliflower. Any microwave steamer will work. If you do not have a steamer device for the microwave, you can put in a 1/4 cup of water in a bowl and add the cauliflower and cover with a plate or plastic lid. Heat the cauliflower in the steamer for 10 minutes. Since almost everyone can do the bowl covered by a plate method, my video shows this method to steam the cauliflower. Click here to buy a Pasta Boat.
Pasta Boat with Steamer attachment on base
If you did use a bowl with a plate to cover, make sure to drain all the water that is left.
METHOD 2: COOK CAULIFLOWER IN BOILING WATER
Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes until cauliflower is soft. You should be able to mash a floret with a fork. When done use a strainer to drain the water.
CAULIFLOWER MASH
Transfer the cauliflower florets to a large bowl. Add the 2 oz of cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and start mixing with a large spoon. Once the ingredients are well incorporated, take a masher and mash the cauliflower.
Cauliflower mashed to resemble mashed potatoes
Keto Cheesy Cauliflower Mash
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut 1/2 head of cauliflower into florets. Steam cauliflower in the microwave for 8 minutes. Can use pasta boat with steamer attachment, a microwave vegetable steamer or a bowl with 1/4 cup of water covered with a plate. (Drain with strainer if using bowl with plate cover method)
Put the steamed cauliflower in a bowl while still hot and add 2 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning. Mix in until well combined and then use a masher to mash the cauliflower. Add 2 tbsp chopped green onions and mix it in. Flatten to make a smooth even layer for the mashed cauliflower. Add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese evenly covering the top. Put in oven at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Take out of oven and wait few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- When steaming the cauliflower, it should be easy to mash with a fork
- In case of using a pasta boat with vegetable steamer attachment or microwave steamer separating water from vegetables there is no need to drain the cauliflower in the strainer.
Nutrition
Calories: 148.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.8g | Protein: 7.4g | Fat: 11.9g | Saturated Fat: 7.1g | Cholesterol: 35.6mg | Sodium: 228.6mg | Potassium: 167.1mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 1.5g | Vitamin A: 401.6IU | Vitamin C: 17.3mg | Calcium: 221.8mg | Iron: 0.8mg | Net Carbs: 2.5g
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese - shredded
- 2 tbsp green onions - chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Cut 1/2 head of cauliflower into florets
- Steam cauliflower in the microwave for 8 minutes. Can use pasta boat with steamer attachment, a microwave vegetable steamer or a bowl with 1/4 cup of water covered with a plate. (Drain with strainer if using bowl with plate cover method)
- Put the steamed cauliflower in a bowl while still hot and add cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
- Mix in until well combined and then use a masher to mash the cauliflower
- Add green onions and mix it in
- Flatten to make a smooth even layer for the mashed cauliflower
- Add cheddar cheese evenly covering the top
- Put in oven at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes
- Take out of oven and wait few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- When steaming the cauliflower, it should be easy to mash with a fork
- In case of using a pasta boat with vegetable steamer attachment or microwave steamer separating water from vegetables there is no need to drain the cauliflower in the strainer.
Nutrition
Share how your keto cheesy baked mashed cauliflower comes out in the comments below.
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