I don’t even know what to say about this.
I mean, I’m sure I could come up with a few things if you made me, but I fully acknowledge that this recipe is kind of obscure.
Like who posts recipes for brown rice and cauliflower sauce? Um, me.
Ever since I did the whole cauliflower-in-alfredo-sauce thing, I’ve been trying to incorporate as much as that creamy vegetable into my life as possible. And I say creamy because almost always, it’s pureed in a blender, salted and garlic-ed, super smooth, and just plain creamy-wonderful.
This is just how I operate.
Hey, though. If you want an awesome food to use for food photography, definitely choose brown rice with neutral-colored sauce. Definitely.
There is redeeming value in this pan of creamy rice, and that’s that it tastes supersuper good. It reminds me of risotto, but with more vegetables, and without the trip to the store for the risotto. The butter, the garlic, the filling and – yep – creamy sauce all up in there? I just liked it. A lot. And Bjork liked it. We ate the whole thing in 24 hours.
Maybe you want to add a few things to jazz it up, as we food lovers often do, or maybe you want to use this as a simple side dish, or maybe you just want to eat a bowl of brown rice with cauliflower sauce for dinner.
Is that so much to ask?
- 6-8 cups chopped cauliflower
- 4 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups water
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ cups brown rice (I used a brown rice blend)
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste!)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6-8 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup Mozzarella cheese for topping (more to taste)
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside.
- Bring the vegetable broth and water to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and boil for about 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer cauliflower pieces to a blender or food processor.
- Puree the cauliflower, adding milk or extra vegetable broth to get a smooth, creamy consistency. Season with salt. Pour over the cooked rice and stir to combine.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter and add the garlic, sauteing over low heat until the garlic is very fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the creamy rice mixture and stir until butter and garlic is incorporated. Add cheese on top or stir it throughout the rice to get it melted. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
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I’m usually not a huge fan of cauliflower – or maybe I’m just not a fan of pretending that cauliflower rice is real rice – but this recipe looks amazing! I love that you’ve mixed in a bunch of decadent ingredients to make this – yum!
I have never tried the fake-out cauliflower rice (where you grate it up to make it into “rice”). I’m more of a creamy sauce girl myself.
This… this looks like cauliflower paradise! We’ve been grabbing giant heads of cauliflower every weekend at the market, so I know we’ll be trying this out soon.
This looks so indulgent. I was so impressed by how healthy it actually is when I scrolled down to the ingredients! Cauliflower is like a miracle vegetable, huh?
yuummm! This sounds amazing. It’s looks so creamy and rich. I love sneaking veggies into everything
This looks wonderful!
you sure make brown rice and neutral sauce look GOOD. and sound good too – I love riced cauliflower, but I think I love THIS idea even more…
Hahaha – thanks Kristina. I was so frustrated while I was shooting and then Bjork brought to my attention that it was possibly the ugliest food ever.
delicious, though!
I love everything about this. Keep the cauliflower recipes coming!
This looks excellent and you did a great job photographing it!
Ooo this looks awesome!!! As much as I love veggies, I like it better when they are masquerading as cream sauce
The creaminess of this rice looks just mouth watering. Somehow you made brown rice with a neutral sauce look so appetizing. You are just that good! Can’t wait to try this out.
Looks delicious and healthy! And kuddos to you for making even this look mouth-watering:-)
Yummy!!!!!!
Wow this looks great! I bet if I subbed in my dairy free regular ingredients it wouldn’t be a bad version!
Yes….I have all the ingredients! I’m sooo making this for dinner. I have been on a cauliflower kick. Thanks Lindsey!
That looks like an awesome dinner…reminds me of risotto
Mmmm, I love cauliflower! And I think the photos look wonderful.
Do you think the entire recipe can be made ahead of time (like in the morning and baked at night) or at least the sauce? Looks amazing!
Yep! Just make the sauce and the rice separately, keep them in the fridge, and then do the last step (butter, garlic, kind of sauteeing the whole thing) just before serving.
I love this recipe! It looks so good. What would life be without cheese?
This sounds sooo good! I love cauliflower but have never made it into a creamy sauce before…. hmmm I think I need to correct that soon!
Looks good!! I wouldn’t have thought to do this, but I might just have to try it!
“Hey, though. If you want an awesome food to use for food photography, definitely choose brown rice with neutral-colored sauce. Definitely.” #sotrue.
Adding to the awesomeness is our lack of any fun dishes here. We have like two white plates. Sigh. Oh well.
I love a good rice recipe, and this is full of awesomeness. Yum!
“If you want an awesome food to use for food photography, definitely choose brown rice with neutral-colored sauce. Definitely.”
Love your humor.
Kudos for making it look really good. I love cauliflower, so will be trying this soon.
This looks incredible! Perfect for a chilly winter night in Minnesota.
yum – I love cauliflower and rice. It looks cheesy good!
Love the versatility of cauliflower. Can’t wait to try this one.
Obscure, maybe. Weird? Nah… we throw all kinds of random stuff into rice at my house! And I’m particularly in love with creamy rice, but risotto is like a decadent treat I only get at a restaurant. This idea, though, looks so simple and so delicious… with the garlic and the mozarellla and the butter… YUM! Plus, it’s so healthy. Love it.
Sounds good to me!!! What a great idea, definitely want to try this with cauliflower sometime. Last night, I actually made the cauliflower pesto from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. It was good, but I think I’d prefer a cooked version like this
That sounds delicious!
Stoppppp it! This looks amazing Lindsay! That shot with the cheese-strings… I’m dying over here!
The cheese strings saved my photos. As usual.
I’m sure I could eat this all by itself every single day of the week! I’m sure Jason would not go near it if he knew there was cauliflower in it but I don’t have to tell him what’s in it right?
Im always looking for a good side & way to jazz up brown rice!! So smart! Cant wait to try this!!
brown rice and cauliflower sauce? You rule! This looks divine!
Those photos are making me drool! I have some vegetable broth with this recipe’s name on it! Pinned it, too! Thank you!
I love that you’ve been using cauliflower to make a creamy sauce. When you made the fettucini, I made a mental note to whip it up next time we do pasta. And now with the rice…sigh…your brain is one of my favorite brains ever! Have a great weekend!!
That looks awesome! I have orzo on hand so I might substitute that for the rice.
Oh gosh, that sounds amazing.
Um, yum?!? This looks amazing!!
Wow Lindsay! This looks fabulous! It reminds me of a dish my grandmother used to make with cauliflower, pasta and cheese. Definitely something comforting. Can’t wait to try it.
I was wondering if you add the cauliflower pieces and the broth into the blender? I’d like to make this tonight.
Thanks in advance! Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
I just added the cauliflower, but reserved the broth to add a few spoonfuls at a time as needed. But just the cauliflower to begin with.
You don’t want it to get too watery.
Creamy Cauliflower Garlic Rice — A star is born! What a winning combination of flavor and texture. I am so looking forward to whipping this puppy up!
Thanks for sharing such a healthy, but not too healthy dish!
I must try this since cauliflower is one of two non-salad vegetables my daughter will eat. Thanks for the idea!
Alright, I may just have to suck it up and jump on this cauliflower wagon. I was skeptical about the whole mashed cauliflower is even better than mashed potatoes thing, but this dish is making me reconsider–monotone color and all.
Also, am I the only one who always spells it cauliflour before cauliflower?? What a goofy word!
Oh, this is perfect! I’ve been meaning to squeeze in more cauliflower to my diet. Thanks for the recipe!
I make this with broccol,i raw milk cheddar, and Parmesan. Yummy!
I just made the recipe and I wasn’t sure if I was doing something right or not… when you put the cauliflower in the blender, do you put all the liquid in with it/pour the liquid in the rice, or are you just taking out the pieces and not add the liquid? I wasn’t sure
Mine turned out well, but not like the picture, so I think I did something a little differently than intended!
I put just the cauliflower pieces in the blender along with some skim milk, salt, and a little water (more milk would also work). I also added the garlic to the blender.
I just want to eat this so bad.
Made this as a side for our dinner tonight and WOW! We loved it! My girls wouldn’t dare let a vegetable willingly pass their purses lips. They gobbled up this rice and my littlest even had seconds. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Yay! That’s great. Thanks for the comment, Kate!
Has anyone tried to make it dairy-free? I was going to try almond milk and rice cheese…
How many heads of cauliflower equals 6-8 cups?
Look divine!
Depends on how big your cauliflower is. Here in the Philippines, it would probably be three, but back home in the states, maybe two?
Ohmy. Just made this. SO SO SO DELICIOUS and creamy! Excellent recipe. I have a feeling this will be made at least once a month at my house.
Glad you liked it Autumn!
This was delicious! I used a spicy pepper jack cheese instead of the mozzarella, which added a nice heat. I also used a short grain brown rice (it was all I had on hand), and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Mmm Pepperjack!
Made this tonight. Super healthy, but didn’t turn out exactly like I thought it would. It was a little bland (but that could be because on top of substituting and estimating ingredients, I also halved the recipe). I ended up using Romano cheese because it was all I had, putting a little crushed red pepper, tabasco, teeny bit of cilantro (once again, only herb I had in fridge)… not quite right… SECRET INGREDIENT: LEMON JUICE! I squeezed some fresh lemon juice in and it really brightened it up! Delicious! Next time I will try original recipe plus lemon juice! Thanks for the recipe Lindsay!
Do you save the leftover broth for anything? I would love to know if you reuse it for another recipe or if you just toss it.
Just for soups or more veggies sauces like this.
You could also use it to cook the rice!
I just wanted to thank you for such a wonderful side! Made this last night for my honey who is not a cauliflower fan – & he even made yummy noises! Leftovers made a great lunch today. Thanks for starting my week off so well!
Glad you like it!!
Looks Risotto-ish! Def. need to try this!
I made this for dinner last night. Amazing!! It was like luscious creamy risotto. I used a cube of Saute Starters Garlic & Herb Butter to saute the garlic. It added major flavor! Looooooove your cauliflower recipes. I froze half the sauce leftover from last night…I’ll be making a pasta dish for dinner sometime next week. How about you make Cauliflower Mac & Cheese next?
Please!!
This sauce froze perfectly. I used up the leftover sauce to make creamy macaroni last night. I was just going to leave the sauce as it was, but then I thought of Iowa Girl Eats’ Creamy Garlic Shells (http://iowagirleats.com/2013/03/06/creamy-garlic-shells/) and thought I’d go ahead and add those same flavors. I added about a cup or so of milk and a little bit of half & half along with Parmesan and garlic powder. Oh, and a few red pepper flakes. I’m currently eating the leftovers right now…so creamy, silky, and delicious.
Mmm, sounds good! Thanks Francesca!
OMG- I just made this, and it’s AMAZING. That sauce is going to be a game changer for me- it tastes very much like Alfredo sauce!! I added a small amount of finely chopped broccoli and mushrooms to the garlic and butter, and that was wonderful. I used just water to cook the cauliflower and it still tasted amazing. Thanks so much for this!!!
Great, thanks Susan!
Just made this with Quinoa and gouda. My grandson and I are eating it before it gets to the table.
I love Gouda! My favorite cheese. Funny you should mention that because tomorrow I’m posting a really similar recipe with – guess what? Quinoa and gouda.
Have you ever frozen left over sauce? If so, how?
Hi Jessica! I haven’t but others have frozen it with good results.
There are a few comments about it here.