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At least once a week, we make this Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale recipe with our dinner. It’s both nutritious and delicious, as well as super easy to prepare.
This Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale came about as an offshoot of my husband Jack’s favorite garlicky Tuscan kale recipe—which he cooks up in large batches, then freezes in portions so we can always have a healthy, green vegetable on hand for any meal.
We’ve also been making our own cauliflower rice—adding different seasonings and ingredients to change things up from meal to meal. So one day, Jack combined the two and created this Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale recipe. It’s delicious!
This Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale goes well with just about any meal. Tender, cooked cauliflower rice and strips of Tuscan kale are combined with sautéed onions and garlic. A little bit of butter, grated Parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice help season this dish.
This Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale goes well with just about any meal, and you can feel good eating such a healthy and delicious side dish!
What is Riced Cauliflower?
Riced cauliflower is simply fresh cauliflower that has been cut into rice-sized pieces, then cooked until tender but not mushy. It came about as a low-carb alternative to white rice—but even if you aren’t eating a low-carb diet, you’ll love riced cauliflower!
Riced cauliflower cooks up quickly and easily—and the finished texture really does resemble rice. The trick is to sauté the riced cauliflower in a hot skillet with just a little bit of oil so the cauliflower pieces cook quickly without steaming and becoming mushy.
How do you make Riced Cauliflower?
You can actually buy pre-made riced cauliflower at the supermarket these days—typically in the frozen vegetable section. But it’s so easy (and so much less expensive) to make at home!
Through some experimentation, we found that shredding the uncooked cauliflower head on a box grater (use the largest-size holes), or using the grater attachment of a food processor yields a better texture than just pulsing the cauliflower florets in a food processor.
But if you prefer to just pulse the cauliflower in the food processor, follow the instructions in this recipe to do so.
What kind of kale is the best to use for this Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale recipe?
We prefer Tuscan kale over curly kale—but either can be used in this recipe. Tuscan kale (also called dinosaur, Lacinato or black kale) is not as tough and fibrous as the curlier kale, so we like it better. You’ll also find the that Tuscan kale cooks more quickly.
We prefer the taste and texture of the Tuscan kale, and luckily, most supermarkets carry it these days. (Although, because of its popularity, it sometimes sells out.)
Another great thing about this Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale is that you can make a big batch, then enjoy leftovers all week. (Great for meal planning!) Or —seal in bags, then freeze. Thaw and reheat as needed.
You may enjoy these other cauliflower recipes:
- Saffron Cauliflower Rice
- Sweet Potato Cauliflower Mash
- Lemon Basil Chicken with Tuscan Kale and Cauliflower Rice
- Tri-Color Cauliflower Salad
- Fusilli with Cauliflower (Fusilli con Cavolfiore)
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Riced Cauliflower and Tuscan Kale
Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower (2–3 pounds)
5 cups Tuscan kale (1-2 heads)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
Remove core and leaves from the cauliflower head and cut into florets small enough to fit in the chute of a food processor tube. Using the large holes of a box grater or the large grater plate of a food processor, shred the cauliflower. The texture will be small pieces and shreds. Set aside.
Remove the leaves from the Tuscan kale stems, chop small and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Leave the wet kale in the strainer and do not shake off the excess water.
In a large skillet or saute pan over medium high heat, add 3 tablespoons of oil and add the onions, wet kale and garlic. Stir and cook uncovered for two minutes.
Add the water, lemon juice, salt and pepper, cover, lower heat to medium and cook five minutes.
Lower heat to low, keep covered and cook for a few more minutes until the kale is almost tender.
Remove cover, increase heat to medium high and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil along with the shredded cauliflower and cook and stir uncovered for about 4-5 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
Stir in butter and Parmesan, taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
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