Cauliflower might be the most versatile vegetable. You can roast it, steam it, grill it like a steak, puree it like mashed potatoes, or grate it and eat it like rice. These 20 fast and healthy cauliflower dinner recipes prove cauliflower is a whole lot more than just a side dish, but is also great for easy meal prep and exactly what we need to carry us through a busy week.
Cauliflower is stealthy. It’s like the Madonna or Tilda Swinton of vegetables, always reinventing itself and morphing into something new.
Gone are the days when it existed solely as part of a boring medley of steamed broccoli and carrots. Now it’s “riced,” or mashed into a creamy deliciousness that often rivals even the best mashed potatoes, cut into steaks and grilled, and pureed into a healthier creamy chowder soup that’s so decadent you’d swear it had heavy cream. Cauliflower keeps us guessing and keeps us on our toes.
That’s why we’re big fans of this cruciferous veggie. There are endless ways to enjoy it, and since its flexible nature and creamy texture allows us to trick our brain into thinking we’re eating regular rice, pizza dough, and mashed potatoes, it totally satisfies our carb cravings (in a healthier, forgiving way).
Heck yes for sneaky brain tricks!
*But first, A QUESTION*
I’m experimenting with the best day of the week to share recipe round-up posts like this one so they’re most helpful for you.
so….
Will you please answer the following poll:
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To see the other posts in this Meal Plan series, check out the following:
- 20 Recipes You Can Make with a Pound of Ground Beef (It’s What’s for Dinner)
- 20 Recipes You Can Make with a Can of Beans
- 20 Healthy Dinners to Make in the Instant Pot
- 20 Chicken Dinner Ideas You Can Make on the Sheet Pan
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And, download this free printable weekly meal planner/to-do list to fill in, tape to the fridge, take to the grocery store, or use for reference next year when you can’t remember what the heck were your fave recipes from this one.
You get the idea. Now get cooking!
Spicy roasted cauliflower and refried black beans give these vegan tacos big flavor and heartiness, and a cumin lime crema seals the deal from Gimme Some Oven.
Here cauliflower goes again, blowing our minds with this carb-friendly pizza dough (spoiler alert: yes, it does taste as amazing as it looks) from How Sweet Eats.
You can throw this healthy, veggie-packed stir-fry with garlic-scallion cauliflower rice together in just 20 minutes, which means more time for Netflix and wine from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen.
They’ll never know it’s healthy for ’em. Creamy, dreamy, super cheesy (ONE POT) caramelized cauliflower mac and cheese for the win from FoodieCrush.
Shepherd’s Pie gets lightened up, Paleo style, with a whipped cauliflower mash topping that will forever ruin you for all other Shepherd’s Pies from Heather Christo.
When you need a little reset, this detox salad with apples, shallots, avocado, roasted chickpeas, fresh herbs, and raw cauliflower rice does the job from Pinch of Yum.
Slay your workweek meal prep with these easy, healthy cilantro lime chicken, tomato, avocado and black bean cauliflower rice bowls from Fit Foodie Finds.
This super creamy mushroom, kale, and cauliflower pasta bake (which can easily be made vegan) will put land you in a comfort food coma from Top with Cinnamon.
Cauliflower, chickpeas, coconut milk, tomatoes, and curry come together in the Instant Pot for a flavor-packed 20 minute dinner you can feel good about from Food Faith Fitness.
This low-carb bowl is full of healthy goodness thanks to lean chicken thighs, colorful roasted veggies, and thyme-studded cauliflower rice from Foodness Gracious.
You don’t have to be vegetarian or vegan to fall in love with these hearty cauliflower steaks with the most sublime mushroom gravy from Oh my Veggies.
These beef burrito bowls with cilantro lime cauliflower rice and all the fixins will have you saying “tortillas are so overrated” from Spices in My DNA.
This velvety, garlicky roasted cauliflower soup is insanely delicious and comes together effortlessly in a blender from Bev Cooks.
Cauliflower is lightly battered and baked until crispy, then tossed in a spicy kung pao sauce in this home run hit from Vegan Richa.
Crispy pancetta, caramelized roasted cauliflower, penne, sourdough croutons, and parmesan cheese — what’s not to love about this easy dinner from FoodieCrush?
These simple meal prep bowls feature baked turkey meatballs in a sweet and smoky honey chipotle sauce, alongside cilantro lime cauliflower rice, and we’re pretty sure we could eat them on a weekly basis from Sweet Peas and Saffron.
Fresh herbs, roasted cauliflower, Mediterranean spices, and tahini sauce fill these healthy pitas that are perfect for lunch or dinner from A Couple Cooks.
Turns out, when you chop cauliflower into tiny pieces, it gets ultra caramelized and can be eaten like candy, or in this light and simple linguini with ricotta, lemon, and fresh dill from Not Without Salt.
Mac and cheese lightened up for spring in this comforting cauliflower, pea, and edamame-studded pasta bake from Healthy Seasonal Recipes.
Vegetarians and carnivores alike will love these Sriracha and lime roasted cauliflower tostadas that take just 30 minutes to prepare from FoodieCrush.
This recipe round-up was curated and written by FoodieCrush contributor Hayley Putnam of Seven Day Weekend.
Follow her foodie tastes and other flights of fancy on Pinterest and Instagram.
Thanks for stopping by and visiting FoodieCrush. Have something to say or a recipe round-up request to make your dinnertime meal making easier? I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or let me know in the comments below.
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