Basic Cauliflower Rice | Whole30 – Paleo

I fought back and forth as to whether I should share this recipe. I completed my first Whole30 over three (!!!) years ago now, and I forget how sometimes these super-easy and basic recipes are necessary to share. When I first started eating whole food, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and I had no idea what to do with a head of cauliflower!

This recipe is great because it has a very neutral flavor and tastes the most similar to regular old white rice. I use it as a side for any dish I would serve white rice with!

I also have four other recipes that I plan on sharing over the next couple of months which include varieties such as Asian, Mexican, Italian and American. They’re all quick and easy to prepare, but are more flavorful and fun versions of this basic cauliflower rice. Be sure to pin this recipe as I’ll add in links for each additional variety of cauli rice!

So why eat cauliflower rice?

For starters, if you’re embarking on a Whole30 or starting a Paleo diet, cauliflower rice is almost a must. It’s a good stand in for real rice, and is a sneaky way to get your veggies in. Don’t like cauliflower? I still recommend trying out cauli rice! I don’t think I cared for cauliflower until Whole30, and now I would say it’s my favorite and most versatile vegetable!

If you’re not doing a Whole30 or eating Paleo, cauliflower rice is still a great way to get your vegetables in! Now that I can tolerate rice much better, sometimes I’ll mix half regular rice and half cauli rice. It works!

Nutrition

I realize now that most of my favorite vegetables are flowers. Artichoke? Flower. Broccoli? Flower. Strawberry? Rose! And cauliflower? Flower!

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable and has lots of fiber, vitamin C, folic acid and potassium.

The Recipe

If you’re a busy person (and really, who isn’t?), I recommend buying pre-riced cauliflower. My favorite place to buy organic riced cauliflower is in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s. But you can also find pre-riced cauliflower – both fresh and frozen – at most grocery stores these days.

If you can’t find pre-riced or if your grocery store doesn’t carry it, then you either need a decent high-powered blender or food processor. It’s pretty quick to rice your own, but cauliflower has the unfortunate quality of flying everywhere no matter HOW careful you are. You’ll find cauliflower crumbs for days! 🙂

Pin this recipe!

Basic Cauliflower Rice

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

7 mins

 

Author: Jess

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter or ghee (use ghee if on a Whole30)
• 1 pound riced cauliflower
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp granulated garlic

Instructions

1. Melt butter/ghee and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Once hot, add cauliflower rice, salt and garlic. Mix well.
3. Saute for 3-5 minutes. This goes fast! Stir the cauliflower rice occasionally.
4. It's up to you when it's done. I like mine al dente - so I usually take it off in 3 minutes. If you have digestive issues or prefer your rice more well done, go for 5 minutes. This is trial and error as you won't know what you like until you make this recipe a couple of times.

Notes

If you don't have pre-riced cauliflower, rice your own! Start by cutting off the stem and green leafy bits with a chef's knife. The best way to do this is to place the cauliflower on its side. No need to worry about trimming the leaves ahead of time. Determine the best you can where the stem ends, and carefully make one long cut (yes, straight through any leaves!). Once the bulk of the stem is removed, you can pick off leftover bits with your hand (if it's a leaf) or with the knife (if it's more a stem). Next, place the cauliflower stem side down. Cut the cauliflower into "steaks" - basically one inch long slices. I usually add one slice at a time to my food processor. Pulse in the food processor a couple of times until it reaches riced consistency, then place in a bowl and repeat until all the cauliflower is riced. If you have extra cauliflower, you can place in a bag and put in the freezer to use in another recipe!

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