Bacon Basil Cauliflower "Pasta" (30-35 minute cook time)
Fun story about my relationship with cauliflower...I use to absolutely hate it. I mean, you could have offered me $100 to eat a large bowl of it and I still would have said no. It was just something I never wanted to go near. Now days though, it's one of my go to ingredients for many meals, including this one.
So, why cauliflower?
Well, first let's start with the nutrient break down for this beautiful cruciferous vegetable.
With such a dull look, who knew it had so much vitamin C? If only the pirates had boat loads of this beauty! Did you know the Sulforaphane in cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables has also been found to significantly improve blood pressure and kidney function? Honestly, I could list quite a few other reasons why it's a great addition to our diets, but I'll save those fun facts for other future posts. Let's get to that delicious looking recipe shall we?
What you're going to need:
- 1/2 Head of cauliflower
- 2-3 Tbsp cream cheese
- 3 Pieces of bacon
- 1 Avocado
- 1/4 Cup of melted butter (Yes, I know that isn't melted in the picture)
- Basil
- Green onion (totally optional)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
Utensils:
- Cutting board
- Large knife
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula (not pictured)
- Cookie sheet
- Oven @ 350 Degrees
Cook Time:
- 30-35 minutes
Step 1:
Clean up and cut up the cauliflower. I usually like to keep the pieces around 1/4 inch thick and only used about half of the head for this recipe, more or less is totally okay though.
Step 2:
Toss the cauliflower into your mixing bowl, melt around 1/4 cup of butter and mix it in with a generous amount of garlic and onion power. Throw it onto a cookie sheet and put it into the oven at 350F for around 20-25 minutes, or until it's got a nice golden brown on the edges and is a nice soft consistency .
Step 3:
While your Cauliflower is in the oven, take this time to dice up your other ingredients (basil, green onion, bacon and 2-3 tbsp of cream cheese) then add them back into your mixing bowl.
Step 4:
After the cauliflower is cooked to your desired consistency, add it back into your mixing bowl with your other ingredients and mix it all together.
*Pro tip: let it sit for a few seconds to allow the heat of the cauliflower to melt the cream cheese then re-stir.
Step 5:
ENJOY!!!!
** I usually like to add some chicken thighs on the side or maybe even a little pulled pork depending on what proteins I have prepped for the week. Recipes for those are coming soon too.
