creamy cauliflower garlic rice

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.

INGREDIENTS

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)

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.