This easy cauliflower risotto dish is so satisfying: riced cauliflower, Italian seasonings, and cream make for a creamy veggie risotto. Sautéed mushrooms give a deep, delicious flavor you won’t soon forget.
When you want a dish of rich, creamy risotto but are on a low-carb diet, what do you do? Try this easy hack: you make a creamy cauliflower risotto!
This cauliflower rice risotto is a lighter, healthier version of a regular risotto, but instead of white rice, use the healthier, lower carb alternative, cauliflower.
In only 25-32 minutes, you can have a delicious cauliflower risotto made with only a few ingredients.
It’s the ideal side dish for steak or seafood, as it’s warm and delicious while remaining light and healthy.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Fancy taste in a simple dish using everyday ingredients? It may be the finest cauliflower risotto recipe you’ve ever tried.
Rice in traditional Italian risotto is cooked in stock until it becomes creamy. In a similar manner, cauliflower mushroom risotto is cooked, but it’s much quicker!
- butter
- yellow onion
- garlic
- portobello mushroom
- white mushrooms
- fresh thyme
- cauliflower
- heavy cream *or vegetable broth if vegan
- parmesan cheese shredded
- gorgonzola cheese *or Italian cheese blend / blue cheese
- salt and pepper
- Italian seasoning
How to make cauliflower risotto
This cauliflower risotto dish is really simple to prepare.
Step 1: Rice the cauliflower: This better-for-you alternative, is easier to make than rice.
Step 2: Sautee butter, onion and garlic first. Then, add cauliflower.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are transparent and caramelized, and the mushrooms are tender and browned. The mushrooms should have shrunk in size by at least half, and there should be no liquid left.
Finally, add in cauliflower.
Step 3: Add heavy cream, cheeses, and other seasonings.
Step 4: Simmer just a bit longer, approximately 4 minutes. Careful to not overcook the cauliflower.
Carbs in cauliflower risotto vs regular risotto
Regular risotto with rice may contain upwards of 50 g. per serving. That’s a lot of carbs!
In contrast, each dish of this keto cauliflower risotto contains only 8 grams of carbs.
It’s grain-free, low-carb, and keto-friendly, yet it’s packed with taste. Even if you don’t care for cauliflower, the tastes in cauliflower mushroom risotto are similar to those in ordinary risotto.
Storage
Refrigerate the cauliflower mushroom risotto in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
How to freeze
You can also freeze this risotto cauliflower rice if you need it to last longer.
Allow to cool fully before freezing in a freezer bag or container. It will keep for two to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or skillet until hot.
Tips/FAQ
- Mushrooms are key for this recipe to succeed, feel choose or increase your favorite mushrooms, I love the taste of portobellos and the texture of white mushrooms but brown mushrooms would work as well.
- Parmesan and gorgonzola cheese were chosen to sharpen the taste of this risotto, but they can be replaced with some mozzarella cheese or even cream cheese for a soft taste.
- How to make it vegan: omit the heavy cream for vegetable broth. Instead of cheese, use cashew cheese or an almond-based alternative.
- Riced cauliflower risotto reduces significantly more quickly than white rice – about 4 minutes!
Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ lb portobello mushroom
- ½ lb white mushrooms
- fresh thyme
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 cup heavy cream *or vegetable broth if vegan
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- ½ cup gorgonzola cheese *or Italian cheese blend / blue cheese
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ cup water *or broth
Instructions
- Make the cauli rice: remove cauliflower stalk and leaves and chop it into florets. Place cauli florets in a food processor and pulse a few times until rice consistency. Set aside.
- Heat butter in a large pot or skillet. Add chopped onion and sauté until onion is translucent. Then add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until tender, add one more tbsp of butter if needed.
- Once mushrooms are tender, add cauliflower rice, heavy cream, water, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Simmer the risotto, stirring occasionally to cook evenly until cauliflower is tender and liquid has reduced about 3 to 4 minutes! You’d like to be rice-textured so be careful not to over-cook the cauliflower.
- Remove from heat and add gorgonzola and parmesan cheese. Stir until combined.
- Serve risotto warm in individual bowls. Garnish with fresh thyme, shredded parmesan, and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- Mushrooms are key for this recipe to succeed, feel choose or increase your favorite mushrooms, I love the taste of portobellos and the texture of white mushrooms but brown mushrooms would work as well.
- Parmesan and gorgonzola cheese were chosen to sharpen the taste of this risotto, but they can be replaced with some mozzarella cheese or even cream cheese for a soft taste.
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