Saturday, May 30, 2015

Cheesy Cauliflower Helper


Ever since I learned about subbing cauliflower for rice I have been experimenting with different ways to change up my favorite recipes. This one is a spin on one of our mom's favorite dishes. 
It is similar to the "hamburger helper" packets you can buy at the grocery store but healthier :)
Give this a try when you want something quick, easy, tasty, and healthy. 
I'm thinking the kids might even give this a go. 
According to Myfitnesspal, one serving of this (recipe makes 4 servings) is:
375 calories, 16 carbs, 18 fat, 39 protein, and 6 fiber.
Not to shabby for a such a large serving!


Cheesy Cauliflower Helper

Ingredients
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 medium/large head cauliflower
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup no fat cream cheese
1/3 cup 1% milk
1 cup shredded aged, light cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp dried mustard
dash hot sauce

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
In a large frying pan, start cooking the ground beef over medium heat, stirring to break up.
While beef is cooking, chop cauliflower into small florets and boil in the prepared pot of water. Cook the cauliflower until it is tender, about 8 - 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.
When beef is almost done (only a bit of pink remaining), add in the onion, garlic, salt & pepper, onion & garlic powder. Cook until beef is done and onions are soft. Reduce heat. 


In the same pot you cooked the cauliflower, stir together the cream cheese, milk, cheddar cheese, dry mustard, and hot sauce.


Place on burner that should still be warm from cooking the cauliflower. (Burner does not need to be turned on, there should still be enough heat. - If not, turn heat to low.)
Stir continuously until cheese sauce is smooth.


Stir the cooked beef mixture into  the cheese sauce. Then stir in the warm cauliflower. 
Toss well to ensure everything is well coated.
Serve immediately. (If you find it is not hot enough simply turn the burner on medium heat for a few minutes until everything is heated through again.)


I served mine on a bed of baby spinach and topped with a pinch more aged cheddar. 
Note - this dish is very mild as far as flavors go. Be sure to use a nice strong cheese so the flavor of the cheddar shines through. 
If I had to describe the flavor of this - I would say it reminds me of the inside of a cabbage roll minus the tomato sauce, of course. 



We're sharing at this fun and fabulous linky party - Carole's Chatter

6 comments:

  1. I love to find a new and interesting recipe to try and your Cheesy Cauliflower Helper sounds like one of those recipes. I can't wait to try it. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  2. Many people don't realize how cauliflower can be used in various dishes. This looks amazing!! I cna't wait to try it!

    Thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Monday!

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  3. Yum, this sounds like a wonderful spin on hamburger helper! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend?!

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  4. I absolutely love this! Thanks for sharing it with us. Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see you tonight at 7 pm. We can’t wait to party with you! Lou Lou Girls

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  5. I entered this into MFP and it came out to be over 426 calories a serving. It was so delicious but your calorie count is way off.

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    Replies
    1. I used Myfitness pal - could just be the discrepancy in size/etc of ingredients ... from the different sites! :)

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