We don’t eat many potatoes in the summer, but man, when it’s cold out, we eat potatoes a lot. Natalie’s current obsession is loaded baked potatoes, which is okay, but when she was on her third baked potato covered in butter, sour cream, bacon, and cheese in one week, I knew something had to change. And switching from a baked potato to mashed potatoes wasn’t going to cut it — although I admire her trying to make that a thing.
Instead, I opted to try something that was new to our entire family. Replacing mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower. It sounds weird, I know. But I had seen mashed cauliflower, also called cauliflower mash, popping up across my social media feeds and several people I know claim that mashed cauliflower tasted just like mashed potatoes. So, I figured this was a great time to try it.
I used one whole head of cauliflower and it made plenty of “mash” for four people. Brian and I ate the cauliflower mash plain with some baked fish and sauteed carrots — which was delicious. Natalie had hers “loaded” style with chopped chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions, and dairy-free sour cream mixed in.
We all agree that the cauliflower mash was just as good as regular mashed potatoes, if not better. I’ve made mashed cauliflower for Natalie a few times now… My kid asking for more veggies? Mind blown. My kid asking for cauliflower? Mind exploded.
Making Chicken Bacon Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower
Making the Chicken Bacon Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower was pretty simple. I cut all the leaves off a head of cauliflower, cut into several smaller pieces, put it in a large pot, covered it with water, and put it on the stove over high heat. Once boiling, I turned the heat down to medium heat and boiled the cauliflower for about 15-20 minutes — until the cauliflower was soft.
I then poured all the water out in the sink, and added butter, almond milk, dairy-free sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste, and use my immersion blender to combine it all and mash it until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can put everything in a regular blender.)
Finally I mixed in chopped chicken that was left over from another meal, bacon pieces, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions.
Natalie ate it all and asked me to make it again. I’d say this is a pretty awesome parenting win.
Chicken Bacon Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower
Replacing mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower is a no-brainer, especially when served loaded with yummy toppings.
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 heaping spoonful dairy-free sour cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped chicken
- Shredded cheddar
- Chopped bacon
- Green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Cut all leaves off the cauliflower and cut it into several smaller pieces. Put cauliflower in a large pot, covered it with water, and put it on the stove over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium heat and boil the cauliflower for about 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft.
- Pour out the water. Add butter, almond milk, dairy-free sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients and "mash" it until smooth.
- Mix in chopped chicken, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions (amounts based on your preferences) and serve immediately.
Notes:
If you don't have an immersion blender, you can transfer the cauliflower when it's done boiling to a blender or food processor to make the mashed cauliflower.
