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The holidays are upon us! (Hang on a second while I scream! Eek!) And while I love the holiday season, navigating family gatherings and holiday parties for those of us who eat a low-carb diet can be tricky. But never fear, I’m here to help!
The first traditional holiday food I’ll be tackling is the mashed potatoes. I’ve always been a fan. But did you know that a cup of mashed potatoes can have over 30 grams of net carbs?? Ouch! If you follow a ketogenic diet, your goal is to keep your total net carbs for the day at 20 grams. So, mashed potatoes are out for me. What can I eat instead? Mashed cauliflower, of course! And I’ll let you in on a little secret– they’re easier to make than mashed potatoes. Want to know another secret? My family actually prefers them to mashed potatoes. I know, crazy, right?!
I’m not going to lie to you, friends. I’m not going to tell you things like “Your guests will never know they’re not eating potatoes!” Mashed cauliflower does not taste exactly like mashed potatoes. But what it does do, in my experience, is hit the same “comfort food” spot that potatoes hit. In fact as I’m writing this I’m having a bowl of this for lunch because I’m not feeling well and creamy comfort food is what I’m craving.
Let’s Make Mashed Cauliflower!
Start out with 24 ounces of cauliflower. You need to cook this up until it’s soft. You can do this with fresh cauliflower by cutting it up and then steaming or even roasting, but my method of choice is to take 2 12-ounce bags of frozen cauliflower, dump them in my Pyrex and microwave them using my “cook frozen vegetables” button on my microwave. Because I don’t like to do unnecessary work.
Once you have it all cooked up, add butter, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese. These are a bowl of creamy, cheesy deliciousness, friends.
I’ve made this with different cheeses at different times, and this is my family’s favorite combination, using pre-shredded sharp orange cheddar. While I love even sharper cheddar most of the time, this kind seems to work better in this recipe.
Then you’re going to microwave it just a little more and then hit it up with an immersion blender until it’s really creamy. You really need to blend it rather than just mashing it to get the consistency right. If you don’t have an immersion blender, get one! Ok, while I do recommend having one because they’re awesome, you can also throw it all in a blender. You may need to do it in batches, though.
Season with salt & pepper, throw some extra butter on top (chives optional) and you’re done. For real. So easy, guys.
>If you’d like to go the extra mile to make the most perfect mashed cauliflower that’s thick and suuuuper smooth, check out this Perfect Mashed Cauliflower recipe!<
I’ll be bringing a bowl mashed cauliflower to our family’s Thanksgiving celebration next week, to share alongside the regular mashed potatoes for people like me who eat low-carb, and for people like my kids and husband who just plain like these better than mashed potatoes!
Easy Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower
Super simple mashed cauliflower is a fantastic low carb alternative to potatoes!
Ingredients
- 24 oz | 680g cauliflower florets
- 1 Tbsp | 14g butter (more for top, if desired)
- 4 oz | 113g cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook cauliflower (steam, roast, or microwave) until soft. The time this will take will vary on method used. In my microwave it takes 8-10 minutes.
- Once the cauliflower is cooked, add the butter, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese. Microwave for 30-60 seconds, just enough to start melting the cheese.
- Blend with an immersion blender until creamy and no chunks remain. (Alternatively, blend in a blender in batches until fully blended.) Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve with additional butter and minced chives, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 11.1gSaturated Fat: 6.7gSodium: 559mgCarbohydrates: 6.3gNet Carbohydrates: 3.6gFiber: 2.6gSugar: 3.2gProtein: 6.4g
