Mashed Cauliflower with Kale
Mashed Cauliflower with Kale is an easy and healthy alternative to mashed potatoes that you can make with just 5 ingredients! Creamy and delicious, flavored with garlic and butter, it is the perfect healthy side dish!
Cauliflower is basically the chameleon of all vegetables, am I right? It can be turned into mashed potatoes, chopped into rice, and the list goes on! It’s kind of insane what you can do with the versatility of cauliflower.
And let me tell you, cauliflower mashed potatoes are a THING. And they’re actually delicious! If you haven’t tried this simple side dish yet, you need to add it to your dinner menu this week. It comes together SO quickly, and you only need a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients in Mashed Cauliflower with Kale ->
- cauliflower – DUH. You will steam the cauliflower to get it nice and soft to be blended into a smooth and creamy mash.
- butter – I used vegan butter because I’m dairy-free, but feel free to use regular grass-fed butter if that’s more your jam.
- salt & pepper – You have to have the tried and true flavors!
- garlic powder – This really kicks the flavors up a notch! You can use fresh garlic instead of the powder, you will just need to cook it with the cauliflower.
- kale – Okay, this is just a bonus. I decided to throw some chopped kale in the mix to give it some extra texture and even more nutrients.
It is really important in this recipe that you steam the cauliflower. If you try to roast it, it will crisp up and not blend into a creamy texture. And the same goes for boiling, if you boil the cauliflower, it will take in way too much moisture and then your mash will be watery and sort of soupy.
And no one wants soupy mashed potatoes. I mean, cauliflower.
This really is the perfect side dish to make for an easy weeknight dinner, or even for a special occasion or holiday! It is even good if you make it in advance and it eat it as leftovers, it reheats beautifully.
Looking for more easy gluten-free side dishes?
- Cauliflower Steaks with Avocado Aioli
- Chipotle Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Spinach & Goat Cheese Stuffed Portobellas
- Socca Flatbread
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Mashed Cauliflower with Kale
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 3 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance vegan butter)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup kale (chopped)
Instructions
- Start by steaming the cauliflower florets. I used a steamer basket on the stove, but you can also use the steamer basket accessory in the Instant Pot if you have one. Steam the cauliflower for 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft and can easily be pierced with a fork.
- Remove from the steamer and place the cauliflower in a food processor or blender. Add the butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Blend for about 30-60 seconds, until you get a smooth and creamy consistency. You can also add a small splash of unsweetened milk if you want to thin it out a bit.
- To prepare the kale, preheat a small skillet over medium heat. Add a tiny bit of olive oil to the pan, and add the kale. Stir frequently to saute until slightly wilted.
- Transfer the cauliflower mash to a serving bowl, and stir in the kale. Serve and enjoy!
I made this today & it was outstanding! I added sauteed onions, garlic, with the kale. I used ghee instead of butter so I could use a spash of heavy cream & not feel guilty, fresh grated nutmeg added a nice touch & of course salt/pepper 🙂
I love the way you add your own touch to the recipes! Thanks so much for visiting the site and trying my recipes 🙂
Yesterday was the test to see if our oldest daughter (fussy eater) would like your stuffing & cauliflower mashed potatoes, it was a huge hit! I added chicken sausage & organic mushrooms to the stuffing, thank you for such wonderful recipes 🙂
That is awesome! I’m so glad they passed the test! You keep making my day with these sweet comments about the recipes you have tried 🙂
I’ve tried making mock mashed potatoes a few times before I was lucky enough to find your recipes, both times I used a mixer…….we’re still cleaning cauliflower bits off the walls :-/. We switched to paleo several months ago due to my husband’s health, for the 1st month I felt like a fish out of water! So, I’ll keep passing along all the comments about your wonderful recipes, they’ve made it so much easier for me to hang in there, trust me more then once I thought about throwing in the towel.
We had this with dinner last evening and I would like to suggest that you give some idea of the weight of the ingredients you used in your recipe. My cauliflower was very large because I always buy the biggest one I can find when they are an each price. We ended up with 897 grams of cauliflower and the kale weighed in around 250 grams. I’m not sure ours tasted anything like yours, as there was so little herb in the recipe and it was slightly dry and pasty. When I weighed the final recipe, a serving was almost 8 ounces. We didn’t eat that much, since we had other vegetables to go with it and next time I make this I will be changing the amounts of the vegetables or increasing the herbs and maybe I will even add a little fresh dill. Thanks