Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Recipe with Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Appetizers, Recipes, Veggies | November 20, 2016 | By Nick Abell
Mashed potatoes have been a staple for as long as Ican remember! This doesn’t mean that we have to stick to the same butter-laden, bland mash your grandma forced you to eat growing up! Change it up, vegan style, with roasted garlic and creamy cauliflower.
It’s straight-up potato madness right now at Serving Realness.
Is this a bad thing?HELL NO!
In fact, some professionals even consider potatoes a superfood!
So, in honor ofThanksgiving, Igive thanks for these amazing and versatile vegetables!
What’s my secret to making creamy vegan mashed potatoes even better?
Simple:
Sneaky nutrition
Sneaky Nutrition Only Works If It’sActually Sneaky!
I may be a full-blown vegan now, but growing up I wouldn’t eatvegetables if someone paid me to. My mother (bless her heart) even tried countless times to trick me into eating healthy.
Unfortunately, her version of cauliflower mashed potatoes weremissing something…the potatoes.
Despite her best efforts, my fat-kid instincts kicked in immediately.
“You call thesepotatoes!?” I scoffed
“Wellllllllll, it’s actually just mashed cauliflower..” she finally admitted
BLEH! I knew it!
(It probably took me another 10 years to even try cauliflower again. Traumatizing!)
Now that I love cauliflower, I knew I had to give it another try. There’s no reason for such delicious foods to be so bland together!
I’ve boiled (hah, boiled..) it down to two factors that make or breakcauliflower mashed potatoes:
- Roasting your garlic
- Making a homemade gravy
First, roasting your garlic takes it from a normal-everyday-ingredient to something that tastes (and smells) like it’s out of a 5-Star restaurant. Seriously!
Simply cut the bulb top off, pour on some olive oil (letting it drip down in-between the cloves), wrap in foil, and bake for 40 minutes. Easy enough, right?
Even better, the cloves turn into asoft paste when roasted. They pop right out and mix effortlessly! I didn’t have to do any mincing, and there’s no risk of chunks of garlic!
The homemade gravy is another no-brainer. Store bought can’t even compare!
Aside from flavor differences, this homemade vegan mushroom gravy only takes about 15 minutes to make(you can do it while the veggies are boiling!). There’s never an excuse for sub par flavor, but especially not the holiday season!🙂
Print Recipe
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Mashed potatoes have been a table staple for as long as I can remember! There's no need to stick to the same, butter-laden, bland mash your grandma forced you to eat growing up!These Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes go perfectly with a savory vegan Mushroom Gravy
Prep Time40 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time55 minutes mins
Course: Side-Dishes
Cuisine: American
Author: Nick @ ServingRealness.com
Ingredients
For the Mash
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4-5 medium yukon gold potatoes cubed
- 1/2 medium cauliflower roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Nutritional yeast to taste (optional)
For the Gravy
- 2 shallots diced
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 portabello caps diced
- %https://servingrealness.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/gravy-portabello.jpg
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth preferably low-sodium
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF
Cut the top off of the garlic bulb, pour olive oil to coat, wrap in foil, and bake for 40 minutes to roast
While the garlic is roasting, go ahead and bring a large pot of water to a boil
Add potatoes and cauliflower and boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until soft
Drain the veggies, mash, and incorporate other mash ingredients (including the roasted garlic cloves)
For the Homemade Gravy
Sauté the onion and shallots in the oil until translucent
Add mushrooms and chopped rosemary
Cook until mushrooms are fragrant and shrink a bit
Sprinkle the flour on top of the mixture
Immediately add the broth and tamari, stirring to incorporate evenly
Add the extra sprigs of rosemary for extra flavor infusion (optional)
Simmer on medium heat until thickened (5-7 minutes), stirring frequently
If it doesn't seem to be thickening, add a tad bit of flour. If it thickens too much, add a bit of vegetable stock
Remember to remove the whole rosemary before serving!
Notes
Store gravy separate from mashed potatoes, both wrapped tightly in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
The more accustomed to the flavor you become, the more you can experiment with the potato to cauliflower to ratio! You could even use 100% cauliflower if you wanted 😉
26 Healthy Vegan Holiday Dessert Recipes » Next post link
FAQs
One head of cauliflower makes roughly 2 cups of mash, which only serves about 2 in my household. We love mashed “potatoes!” If you are okay with smaller 1/2 cup servings, this should serve 4 people. Anything you love to add to mashed potatoes, you can add to mashed cauliflower.
How do you make cauliflower mash less watery? ›
If you find that that the cauliflower you make is watery it's because you are not drying it out properly on the stove after it's boiled. The trick to the perfect cauliflower mash is to drain it really well and let that water evaporate in a pan on medium heat for 5-6 minutes before it's mashed.
Why is my cauliflower mash grainy? ›
If the head is loose and there is a lot of visible stem, you will likely end up with a grainy cauliflower mash from the thick membrane on the outer stem. If using stems and they seem thick, peel them with a paring knife to get that membrane off and you will be rewarded with the creamiest cauliflower puree of your life.
Does cauliflower mashed potatoes taste the same? ›
Sure, it's not quite the same as the sour cream-laden potatoes Jack enjoyed as a kid, but it's still really darn good. This mashed cauliflower has a light and fluffy texture, with a rich, nutty flavor from roasted garlic and a little butter.
How many cups is a serving of cauliflower? ›
A serving equals 1 cup, or about 100 grams (3.5 ounces), of chopped cauliflower. One serving of raw cauliflower has: 25 calories.
How many servings is 1 cup of mashed potatoes? ›
The United States Department of Agriculture considers that a serving of mashed potatoes is 1 cup, which equals 210 grams (g) or almost half a pound (0.46 pounds). But don't let anyone dictate(r) to you the size of a mashed potato serving. If you want to eat 2 cups, or even 3, it's your decision.
How do you keep cauliflower from getting mushy? ›
The key to nonmushy cauliflower lies in how you cut it: Break apart the large head into smaller florets. Now take your knife, and starting at the stem end of the floret, slice about halfway down and snap apart.
How do you get the liquid out of cauliflower? ›
The trick with cauliflower is: Don't cook it till is too soft. just 4 or 5 minutes but taste to be sure. then drain into a colander, (sieve with big holes) and leave to drain for a few minutes, asking every minute. tap dry with a little kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.
What is the trick to thicken mashed potatoes? ›
You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.
How do you get the bitter taste out of cauliflower? ›
All the vegetables form the Brassica family have a bitter component to their flavour. Brassica is the family that includes cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. You can actually remove quite a lot of it by leeching it out in to the water, or by using salt.
Make ahead: Mashed cauliflower can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Why does cauliflower turn yellow when boiled? ›
The colour of the vegetable will be whiter if little acid such as lime juice or vinegar is added during cooking. If the water in which cauliflower is cooked is slightly alkaline, it will have a distinctly yellow colour to it. They turn yellow or orange in the presence of alkali.
What do you add to cauliflower to thicken mash? ›
You can add a litle softened cream cheese to the pot in the final step and stir until melted. Or you can add a keto thickener like glucomannan or xanthan gum. Be sure to whisk it in well when the mashed cauliflower is hot. You don't need more than about ¼ teaspoon per head of cauliflower.
Why does my cauliflower taste weird? ›
Bitter tasting cauliflower can be caused by too much heat or sun. It can also taste bitter from a lack of moisture, uneven watering, waiting too long to harvest, or overcooking.
Which is healthier, potatoes or cauliflower? ›
Nutritionally, cauliflower is lighter in calories and carbs than potatoes and is more nutrient-dense. That's why it's popular among the low carb and weight loss communities.
What is a good portion of mashed potatoes? ›
How many potatoes per person for mashed potatoes? Estimate 1 large (about a pound) potato for every 2 people when serving mashed potatoes. This will give each person about 1 ¼ cups of mashed potatoes.
How much mashed potatoes is a serving of vegetables? ›
Cup of Vegetable Table
| Amount that counts as 1 cup of vegetables |
|---|
| Starchy Vegetables | White potatoes | 1 medium white potato, boiled or baked 1 cup, diced, mashed, fresh or frozen |
| Other Vegetables | Asparagus | 1 cup |
| Avocado | 1 avocado |
| Bamboo shoots | 1 cup |
33 more rowsNutrition is for 1 head of cauliflower for 4 servings. 1 large head weighs around 1kg/2lb and should yield approximately 600g / 1.2lb of cauliflower florets.
How many potatoes is a serving size? ›
According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines and MyPlate a serving of potato is 1 cup diced, mashed or baked or 1 medium boiled potato.
