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This Mashed Cauliflower and Spinach is an easy and delicious way to eat your veggies!
We’ve been on a big cauliflower kick lately. It’s a lower carb and lower calorie alternative to potatoes – plus cauliflower cooks up quickly and tastes delicious!
I’m always looking for delicious ways to eat more veggies. A few weeks ago, I was cooking dinner and had planned to make cauliflower purée as a side dish to serve with our herb roasted chicken. We also had a big bag of baby spinach on hand in the refrigerator – and that was the simple inspiration behind today’s Mashed Cauliflower and Spinach.
To make this Mashed Cauliflower and Spinach, you’ll start out by cooking cauliflower florets in salted boiling water until soft and tender. While the cauliflower cooks, we sautéed some diced onion in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, then added the fresh spinach to the pan to cook until just wilted.
We pulsed the cooked and drained cauliflower in a food processor, then added the onions, spinach, butter, and seasonings – and pulsed again to combine.
We prefer to serve our Mashed Cauliflower and Spinach with a slightly chunky consistency, but you could process everything to more of puréed consistency. Either way – this easy, healthy side dish is delicious!
P.S. If you are on a Whole30, use organic vegetables and clarified butter.
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Mashed Cauliflower and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 large head organic cauliflower, trimmed down to the florets
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion, diced small
- 2 cups organic fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon butter (or clarified butter or ghee for Whole30)
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add cauliflower. Cook just until tender, about ten minutes.
- While cauliflower is cooking, heat a medium sauté pan over medium high heat and add olive oil.
- Once hot, add onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until completely cooked.
- Add the spinach, toss and remove from heat.
- Drain the cauliflower but retain about a cup of the cooking water.
- Pulse the cauliflower until rice size but not pureed.
- Add the spinach mixture scraping the oil with it, salt, pepper, garlic powder and butter and pulse to combine. Do not over mix.
- If mixture is too thick, spoon a little of the cauliflower water in. We did not need to do that with ours.
- Serve immediately.
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Could this be made a few hours in advance and then warmed up in the oven when I am ready to serve it?
Hi Stefania – Yes – you can definitely make this ahead of time. The vegetables may weep a little liquid as they sit in the refrigerator, but just stir that back in and you’ll be fine.
Made it and loved it!!! Making it again this week.
Yay! So glad you are enjoying the recipe Barbara!
Do you think I can freeze this?
Hi Barbara – We haven’t tried freezing this recipe ourselves, but we do think it would be find to do so. I’d suggest freezing your portions in zipper seal bags and squeezing out as much air as possible to avoid any freezer burn.
Thanks…I’ll let you know.
So delicious! Making tonight for the second time in a week. Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
As a college student trying to eat healthier on a budget, this was a great recipie! I halved most the ingredients and used frozen cauliflower and green onions because that’s what I had. I also added some random other spices like cumin, chilipowder, and cayenne because why not? Finally, as someone who isn’t a fan of normal mashed potatoes because of the consistency I crumbled some ritz crackers and threw them in too. Thanks for the recipie!
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Bob! Your additions sound great!
Loved it. Shared with a friend who said her teen son walked around with the bowl finishing what was left over.
★★★★★
Thanks Ken! So glad the recipe was a hit (with everyone!) 🙂
I’m making this today and I can’t wait. Thank you
★★★★★
We hope you love the recipe Marsha!
Anything that puts cauliflower and spinach together has to be good. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Tara – hope you enjoy the recipe!
My food processor is the small kind (4 cup). Would I need a full size (8 cup) to do this recipe, or could I use a blender instead?
Thanks!
Hi Bethany – A blender would work although I think it will puree the mixture more (but that will still taste delicious!) Alternately, you could just two batches in the smaller food processor. Hope that helps!
Thank you for bringing this nice vegetable to a new level. Will do !
Hope you enjoy the recipe!