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READY IN 35 mins

Smashed Cauliflower

Read Reviews (197)

"This is a great alternative to mashed potatoes, and much more figure friendly. It's a great vegetable side dish." — JAMVS

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Original recipe makes 2 cups Change Servings

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded Vermont white Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

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Directions

Bring cauliflower and chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover the saucepan and increase heat to medium-high. Allow cauliflower to simmer until soft and the cooking liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Remove cauliflower from the heat, and add the butter, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Mash with a potato masher until the cheeses have melted and the cauliflower is smooth, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 25 mins
READY IN 35 mins

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I would give this four stars, but it needs some tweaking. It was really runny, like cream of wheat or soft polenta. Next time I will use 1.5 to 2 cups of chicken broth and omit the butter all together. Its not necessary. The flavor of the cauliflower and cheese combination makes this taste a lot like mashed potatoes. You could probably trick the kids for sure. I will definitely make again with these changes. NOTE** Ok, I think I figured it out. I used about 1.5c chicken broth, simmered for 15 mins, added 1/3c sour cream, 1c parmesean cheese and 2tbsp butter. I mixed with my hand mixer until I had a blended but slightly chunky (like country smashed potatoes) texture. LOVE IT>

—BROOKE

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Dec 28, 2008

This was good the second time I made it. I steamed the cauliflower instead of boiling it-so it wont be runny, also I used olive oil instead of butter to make it a little healthier.

—Mommy bakes

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257 Ratings

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Feb 05, 2008

Yum! I've made this several times before but couldn't quite figure out what was missing. I think cooking the cauliflower in chicken broth is key...I used chicken broth with roasted garlic and added a little extra garlic. I pureed the cauliflower in my food processor. I only used a little bit of the broth as I didn't want them to be too runny.

—JENNY-REDS

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Jul 04, 2008

This was quite yummy and my husband has requested to have it often. I steamed the cauliflower instead of boiling it in chicken broth and added a few tablespoons of sour cream. After using the potato masher, I switched to a hand-held mixer. The consistency was not runny at all.

—Aleta

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Dec 06, 2008

Cauliflower will never be mashed potatoes and this preparation will fool no one into thinking so. But as a virtually carb free substitute this was pretty darn good! While I cooked the cauliflower in chicken broth, I drained it completely before adding the cheeses and butter and had no problem at all with its being too soupy. If you like cauliflower in the first place, you'll like it prepared this way.

—naples34102

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Feb 18, 2008

With a few changes this is a good recipe. I steamed the cauliflower in the chicken broth with a couple tsp of bottled garlic. When it was done I drained the broth into a bowl. Then used my wand blender and added a little broth at a time until I had the thickness I wanted. To get the "mashed potato" consistency I added a couple tablespoons of heavy cream. You could use half & half, but I didn't have any. Of course this adds cals and fat, but gives a wonderful consistency! To cut down on the cheese I used crumbled gorgonzola (about 3 T) instead of the cheddar and parm. Fabulous if you like that taste!

—Nancy U.

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Mar 10, 2008

Good stuff, but with some healthier modifications -- no cheese, just a touch of chicken stock, drizzle of olive oil and lots of garlic. Kept it simple and flavorful - took a while for my boyfriend to warm up to it, but he ultimately liked it.

—Jennifer

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Jul 05, 2008

This actually isn't too bad. I say that because I don't like cauliflower. At all. But I had two small servings of this one. Doesn't get five stars though bc of a few things. It was pretty difficult to mash the cauliflower, so I plopped it all in the food processor to smooth it out, although the texture was still a bit grainy. Also, there is a ton of liquid. I drained as other reviewers did,but added about a tablespoon of broth back in. I did use the amount of butter called for but didn't add any salt and used less cheese. I also subbed feta for the cheddar and added roasted garlic. With all these changes, it was good. Otherwise, would have been very runny. Thanks for sharing.

—pomplemousse

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Nutrition

Calories
270 kcal
13%

Carbohydrates
11.8 g
4%

Cholesterol
58 mg
19%

Fat
20 g
31%

Fiber
5.2 g
21%

Protein
13.7 g
27%

Sodium
492 mg
20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Smashed Cauliflower

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 270
** Calories from Fat: 180

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 20g 31 %
** Saturated Fat 12.5g 63 %
** Cholesterol 58mg 19 %
** Sodium 492mg 20 %
** Potassium 674mg 19 %
** Total Carbohydrates 11.8g 4 %
** Dietary Fiber 5.2g 21 %
** Protein 13.7g 27 %
** Sugars 5.1g
** Vitamin A 12 %
** Vitamin C 162 %
** Calcium 40 %
** Iron 12 %
** Thiamin 13 %
** Niacin 20 %
** Vitamin B6 31 %
** Magnesium 15 %
** Folate 70 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.