This creamy cauliflower garlic rice is simple, healthy, and so surprisingly good.
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Just made this and it is the best dish ever. I LOVE risotto but I needed something that is healthier… Thank you thank you thank you.
Adriana
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?
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Creamy Cauliflower Garlic Rice
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This creamy cauliflower garlic rice is simple, healthy, and so surprisingly good! With garlic, butter, brown rice, and cauliflower.
Ingredients
- 6–8 cups chopped cauliflower
- 4 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice (I used a brown rice blend)
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste!)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6–8 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese for topping (more to taste)
Instructions
- 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.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cauliflower garlic rice, garlic rice, cauliflower rice, cauliflower and garlic
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. 🙂
If you use frozen cauliflower in your food processed it makes ricing cauliflower much easier! I just buy the bag of cauliflower flowerettes at Costco rince and drain in colendar dry in paper towel then freeze on a cookie sheet then use my food processed to rice it then store in zip lock bags in the amounts I will use it in! Less sodium than buying the Birdseye frozen riced cauliflower!
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.
Yes exactly.
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!