Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
(Programming Note: If you like this, or any other BF recipe, an easy way to let me know – so I can keep more recipes like it coming – is by clicking one of the “reaction” boxes at the end of the post!)
You ever clean out your refrigerator and find small blocks of random cheese (that’s still good) that you forgot you had? Or is that just me?
That happened to me the other day. Here’s what I did with it.
Nik’s Four Cheese Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (or two bags frozen florets)
2-4 oz. of three different kinds of cheese (So 6-8 oz. cheese total. You’re using a few ounces of each KIND of cheese. I used leftover asiago, monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
1 egg, beaten
6 oz. container Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons light butter spread (I used Blue Bonnet Light), melted
1/4 c. whole wheat bread crumbs (NOTE: Since I first made this recipe I have started nixing the bread crumbs and just letting the cheese brown on top. Even less carbs this way!)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Dashes of: onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and paprika
Directions
Boil cauliflower florets until tender, drain and mash (see here for good directions on doing that).
Mix in cheeses, yogurt and whatever spices you like, except the paprika (keep the cauliflower in the pot when you do this). Stir thoroughly then mix in the egg.
Transfer mixture over to a 13 x 9 casserole dish.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and “butter.”
Spread evenly over cauliflower mixture and top with a dash or two of paprika.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until top is nicely browned.
And for those wondering, “will kids really eat this stuff?” I offer the following evidence. The photo above was taken straight out of the oven. Check out the state of the dish not five minutes after that (and I had not yet had a portion).
Need I say more? But if you want to sell them even more on the idea of cheesy mashed cauliflower, check out my uber-cute cheesy mashed cauliflower cups.
oh my..this looks heavenly!
Looks absolutely delicious!
Yummy, it looks so delicious. Going to try it.
Question: Is that 2-3 oz of cheese in total, or 2-3 oz of each of the 3 cheeses?
Either way, it looks awesome!
Dana,
Of each cheese. If you only used 2-3 oz total it would not be very good!
I am making this today and I hope this isn't a stupid question but I am not a cooker!! Can I freeze this?
Either way I'm excited to try it!!
But of course! This freezes and reheats very well. Just make sure to reheat it in a 350 oven (as opposed to simply letting it thaw and nuking servings). The texture of microwaved cheese can be problematic for many! Enjoy!
I made this last week and only used 3 oz total of cheese (I guess I misunderstood the recipe), but guess what – it was still very good! LOL The rest of my family wouldn't eat it, though. They're losers. But oh well, more for me!
Brittany
Loved this – so did hubby – he thought it was potatoes – great site & recipes- you are very relatable- thanks!
My family loves a similar non wls recipe, where you use canned mushroom or cream of chicken soup and curry paste or curry powder. I am trying your recipe, sans curry as I ran out. I also don't mash the cauliflower, I just chop it fairly fine. I pour the cheesy mixture over the top; it bakes in nicely. So similar, but different again. Always nice to have another recipe to choose from!
Oh…Anonymous…your recipe sounds awesome! If you happen to remember, next time you make it, snap a pic and send the recipe to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. I'd love to share it!
This looks so yummy!
I make this dish using Greek yogurt and cream cheese (the onion-chive makes it a great) but leave out margarine and bread crumbs. LOVE this dish!
I made this dish, and I loved it!!! I am 6 weeks post-op, so I boiled the cauliflower until it was practically mashed. One change I made was to boil the cauliflower in low sodium chicken broth and added tabasco. It was great to eat something savory. I made it on the fly so I used regular butter, next time I'll be ready with light.
i love all the recipes..im only 6 wks out ..cant wait to try some of them..thanks!
Thanks for sharing! Not quite six weeks out yet I ate some today…delish!!!
Thanks! Definitely tastes better than the routine I’ve been doing since I got the surgery. Tried it as soon as I was cleared to. Leftovers are in 3 Oz baby jars in the fridge.