Hate cauliflower? Try this, you'll change your mind!
One of our favorite restaurants in Naples,FL, serves a side dish called "Cauliflower Arugula Smash" and I always look forward to it. What confused me about it, however, is that it was nice and thick, unlike when I tried to make mashed cauliflower at home (what low-carbers love to do to substitute for mashed potates). So I asked the server about it, telling him there just had to be something in there besides cauliflower! Sure enough, he reluctantly admitted that there was also parsnips in there! So I was happy to find and try this recipe and review it in an effort to entice others to try it, since I am its first reviewer. It is just simply delicious! I covered the cauliflower and parsnips in water in a saucepan, added some fresh, minced garlic, brought it to a boil, them simmered it until it was very tender. I drained it very well, then put the pan back on the burner briefly just to dry it out. I didn't add the milk, as it would have have ruined this by taking away it's substance--it needs to be good and dry, and only butter added (although a little bit of cream cheese would be good too!) Finally, capitalizing on the restaurant's dish I love so much, I wilted some fresh arugula in a little olive oil and mixed it in at the last. Perfect! And for some reason even better than the restaurant's!
Read MoreI did not care for this recipe. I even tried putting garlic and cheddar cheese in it. Still no one would eat it.
Read More One of our favorite restaurants in Naples,FL, serves a side dish called "Cauliflower Arugula Smash" and I always look forward to it. What confused me about it, however, is that it was nice and thick, unlike when I tried to make mashed cauliflower at home (what low-carbers love to do to substitute for mashed potates). So I asked the server about it, telling him there just had to be something in there besides cauliflower! Sure enough, he reluctantly admitted that there was also parsnips in there! So I was happy to find and try this recipe and review it in an effort to entice others to try it, since I am its first reviewer. It is just simply delicious! I covered the cauliflower and parsnips in water in a saucepan, added some fresh, minced garlic, brought it to a boil, them simmered it until it was very tender. I drained it very well, then put the pan back on the burner briefly just to dry it out. I didn't add the milk, as it would have have ruined this by taking away it's substance--it needs to be good and dry, and only butter added (although a little bit of cream cheese would be good too!) Finally, capitalizing on the restaurant's dish I love so much, I wilted some fresh arugula in a little olive oil and mixed it in at the last. Perfect! And for some reason even better than the restaurant's!
This is one of my favorite low-carb recipes to use in place of mashed potatoes. Instead of milk, I use half-n-half or heavy cream. My family really likes this, especially my husband who claims to HATE cauliflower. NOTE: If you add this recipe to a small saucepan and add in a cup or so of organic chicken broth, you have a quick faux-potato soup!
I loved this dish!! I followed another review and added garlic to the pot of water when cooking the veggies. Did add about 2 tablespoons of sour cream to the mixture and made sur to beat well with the electric mixture - what a treat!! I teach cooking classes at a local grocery store and I plan to use this recipe in the fall.
I thought they were pretty good. The main bit of feedback I got is that people were expecting more of a "Kick". I'll definitely try to bring the seasoning up a notch for the next time I make them. Integrating parsnips was a fun thing though ;-)
I may not have steamed the vegetables long enough. I usually like them tender crisp, but they really seem to need to be more cooked to get them to whip properly. I omitted the liquid because that would have made them even less like the texture shown in the photo, but I added a good size knob of butter and then 2 tbs of 1/3 less fat cream cheese. Next time I will probably add another parsnip. I served with a nice twist of coarsely ground black pepper and we all enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
Very delicious - almost too good to be true! We added 4 baby yellow squash and 2 parsnips in addition to the head of califlower which added great flavor. We also substituted plain, fat free Greek yogurt instead of milk and butter. Just add some salt, pepper, and parsley flakes for a delicious side dish!!
We LOVED this dish! What a surprise --- and much nicer on the waist-line than potatoes! We love mashed garlic potatoes, so I followed another reviewer's tip, and added garlic powder while I was mixing with a electric hand-mixer. I think it would be great with or without the garlic, but since I don't do milk, I skipped it, but added twice as much butter & mixed 'til creamy. Will definitely make this again --- Thank You!!
This recipe is great!!! I love parsnips & cauliflower. I made them for my boyfriend who dislikes parsnips & he didn't even know what was in it & thought it was great. ONLY thing I added to this recipe was garlic! made once with crushed garlic & a second time with roasted garlic! Both were great!! Definitely worth a try
This was great I just used butter and garlic as suggested no milk and added some fresh parmesan a great healthy subsitute for mashed potatoes.
I did not care for this recipe. I even tried putting garlic and cheddar cheese in it. Still no one would eat it.
I added 4 cloves of garlic on top of the cauliflower and parsnip while it was steaming and I added 2 healthy tablespoons of fat free sour cream and only used 1 TBSP of butter. YUMMY!
Yum! I've never used parsnips in my cooking before but now I'm hooked! It gave such a nice complementary flavor and texture to the cauliflower. Tips for this recipe: 1) drain the cauliflower WELL as it will retain tons of water. At first I didn't feel the need to add milk because there was so much water. 2) use an electric beater or blender to mix. no way you will get as creamy of a texture by hand mashing. The nice smooth texture adds so much to the taste and look! With a blender I found I had to work in small quantities to begin with or else the blade kept getting stuck. Loved it, would definitely make again! My roommate who doesn't like mashed potatoes liked these which looked similar/were similar in consistency.
I don't know what happened, but I didn't like this at all. Sorry. The texture was gritty. I don't think I should have added any milk...maybe cream cheese or something would have been better, but then it would take away from the healthiness of this dish. Won't make again.
I love parsnips, but never thought to add it to mashed cauliflower. I'm asked to bring this dish to all family get togethers. The recipe is perfect as is.
The taste is good, but the texture isn't right- mine came out gritty, though I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's from the milk, but i think I'll replace it with a smidge of cream cheese instead next time if I have it otherwise leave it out. I care more about flavour, and so the 4 stars.
Not for us; will not make again. I tried a different recipe without parsnip several years ago and haven't made that since either. Gave 1 star but not sure that this is fair given that I think we just aren't into this way to prepare cauliflower.
I must admit, it was the velvety looking photo that drew me to this recipe. I was envisioning a silky puree. Not so much.... There's also not much of a "kick". This just tastes like cauliflower w/a mild carrot (parsnip) flavor. Perfectly passable, but nothing like the photo/what I was imagining. Thanks for the recipe, JEN!
What a pleasant surprise this dish was. A very tasty way to replace a starchy high carb side dish with this. I used smart balance butter and 1% milk with great results. We loved this and I will make it often.
Enjoyed it. I used a generous amount of dried red pepper and garlic salt rather than salt and pepper. This will become a regular entry on my weekly menu.
We did not enjoy this at all. I've never had parsnip before but the taste of it adds a strage perfumey type taste.
For watery issues - instead of boiling, I bake my cauliflower at 425 for 20-30 minutes. This not only helps with the mushiness, it transforms the taste to a great nutty flavor. I've never added milk, just a dollop of greek yogurt. Trying to get this creamy with a hand masher is nearly impossible. It's a must to use a food processor or better yet, an immersion blender. The consistency changes completely to a buttery thick, yes, mashed potato texture. Try adding one small red potato. The starch really helps thicken it nicely and doesn't add many calories
This was pretty good, definitely needs more parsnip as once it was mashed I couldn't even taste it! Nice way to lower carbs and substitute as mashed potatoes. I wouldn't make it all the time, but with more parsnip added, I will make again.
We absolutely love this for a side dish and make it often. Absolutely as tasty as mashed potatoes and so much healthier. Thanks!
Great flavor but the consistency in mine didn't come out as planned. It turned out a bit soupy, but I want to try this one again b/c perhaps I steamed the vegetables too long? Loved incorporating the parsnip. I also added a few garlic cloves to the steamer.
When cauliflower is in season I make this a lot. Love love love the way the parsnip adds to the flavor of the cauliflower. Awesome!
Took this to Thanksgiving and my Grandma loved it. Everyone else ate it. I learned that I don't like parsnips.
I read a lot of the reviews before attempting this recipe. I decided to add an additional parsnip and roast the vegetables to prevent it from being too watery. It ended up with a great flavor, but I needed to add more liquid than the recipe called for. I added warm cream, melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper and it was delicious. I also used an immersion blender, and it turned out creamy, but not completely smooth. I'll make it again, but try steaming.
I personally think you could add more parsnips, I added 1/4 of half and half, and 1 ounce of cheddar cheese. Mostly enjoyable.
It is crazy that this is named “with a kick”. What kick? Had to add a lot to salvage this. Tried it as it is written and there was no flavor, definitely no kick. Used a food processor to make it as smooth as I could. The texture was not the problem. Used chipotle powder, paprika and crushed red pepper to give it something along with an obnoxious amount of garlic. Much better, but ended up sprinkling with hot sauce as I ate it. I will not make this again.
