Cheesy “Faux-tatoes”

One of the most requested recipes I’ve made and others have enjoyed is Cheesy Potatoes. But not everyone can eat nightshades/potatoes or high-carb side dishes such as the original recipe for Cheesy Potatoes. Solution? Cheesy FROZEN Cauliflower Rice Faux-Tatoes.

Why use frozen cauliflower? Many brands (or fresh-made) rice cauliflower have a lot of flavor from the veggie. Whereas the frozen cauliflower is rather bland, by comparison, lending its use as a substitute for hash browns without the traditional cauliflower flavor.

What’s different? Frozen cauliflower is super moist compared to frozen potatoes. You’ll need to thaw and pat dry the cauliflower rice before using.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Pound Frozen Cauliflower Rice (plain)
• Pepper
• Celery Salt
• Shredded cheese
• Minced Onion
• 1/2 stick of butter

METHOD:

1. Thaw the riced cauliflower.
2. Pat the cauliflower dry with a clean kitchen towel.
3. Place mixture in bowl.
4. Mince onion and stir into cauliflower rice mixture.
5. Add celery salt and pepper. If you would like, add fresh or dried parsley. It looks lovely and adds nutritive value too. Stir well to incorporate.
6. Mix 1/2 of the cheese into the mixture. Smooth out in 9×9 (or 8×8) baking dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 of cheese.
7. Bake at 375 until cheese is golden brown.

NOTES:

This was still too moist. I had friends say it tastes exactly like the cheese potatoes I make. However, I wasn’t satisfied with the moisture content. I left the condensed soup out, to help keep nightshades and carbs out of this recipe (and make it gluten free too) and also because I thought it would be too moist with condensed soup included. It turned out to be a bit moist/runny even with removing the soup. It could use another spice or two, which can compliment your main dish. Such as “Old Bay” if you are enjoying fish, garlic with just about any main, or any other favorite spice(s) and/or blend(s) of choice. Next time too, because of the moisture, I think I will try using dried minced onions from the spice aisle instead of freshly minced onion. This recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. Could be eaten as is, or enjoyed with a dollop of sour cream and a snip of chives along side.