Creamy cauliflower mash flavored with roasted garlic and ricotta cheese. It’s an easy side dish that goes with absolutely everything and not to mention it is low carb!
Try serving this cauliflower mash with our Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken. It’s the best!
Cauliflower and Ricotta Mash
Have you tried mashed cauliflower? It’s basically a low-carb friend of potatoes. It’s light, buttery, and creamy.
This mashed cauliflower recipe is made with only 5-ingredients: cauliflower, ricotta, garlic, butter, and chives. The garlic adds so much flavor and the ricotta just the perfect touch of creaminess.
Serve it with meatballs, bolognese sauce, saucy shrimp, or any other meal you’d normally serve with mashed potatoes.
Getting Moisture Out of Cauliflower
The trick to creamy and not watery cauliflower mash is to get as much moisture out of the cauliflower before it is puréed. I like to do this in two parts:
- STEP 1: Drain the boiled cauliflower florets over a strainer and let them sit for 5-10 minutes to drain off the excess liquid from cooking while tossing the cauliflower several times.
- STEP 2: Layer a large baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Spread the drained cauliflower in a single layer and tap the baking sheet a couple of times on the countertop to get as much water as possible out of the cauliflower.
How to Make Cauliflower Mash
ROAST THE GARLIC: It’s very easy to make. First, you start off by roasting garlic. You only need two cloves, a little bit of olive oil, and aluminum foil. Roast in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until soft.
COOK THE CAULIFLOWER: Next, cut up a big head of cauliflower into florets. Then cook the florets in salted water until fork-tender. Mine took right around 10 minutes or so. Drain and spread onto a paper-lined baking sheet.
PUREE TOGETHER: Add the cooked cauliflower florets into a bowl of a food-processor with ricotta, butter, and roasted garlic. Puree until smooth. Garnish with chives and serve.
How Long Does Mashed Cauliflower Last?
Leftover mashed cauliflower can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It reheats very well too!
Serving Suggestions
As a Side – instead of pasta or traditional mashed potatoes, serve cauliflower mash alongside any of these main dishes:
Under Something Saucy – another great way to serve cauliflower mash is under something saucy, such as:
- Red Curry Shrimp
- Easy Chicken Marsala
- Creamy Tomato Chicken Recipe
- Cod in Creamy Red Roasted Pepper Sauce
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders
Looking for more low-carb recipes? Try our Cauliflower and Spinach Bake, Chicken Stuffed Zucchini, or Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry.
Print
Cauliflower and Ricotta Mash
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Mashed
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy cauliflower mash flavored with roasted garlic and ricotta cheese. It’s an easy side dish that goes with absolutely everything and not to mention it is low carb!
Ingredients
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 3 lb. head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- Olive oil
- Chopped chives, for garnish
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut off the tip of each garlic clove (just enough to expose it). Place in a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the foil tightly and place on a baking sheet.
- Roast the garlic for 10-12 minutes or until soft when pressed. Remove and let cool before peeling. The garlic should easily pop out of their skins when pressed.
- Cook the cauliflower florets in salted water for 8-12 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain over a strainer and then lay flat on a large baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towel. Tap the baking sheet a couple of times on the countertop to get as much water as possible out of the cauliflower.
- Then working quickly, place the cauliflower in a food processor with roasted garlic, butter and ricotta. You can do this in batches as I did or all together if your food processor is big enough. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Purée until smooth and creamy.
- Garnish with chopped chives and serve warm.
Notes
- Watery Mash? Try adding some cubed cream cheese. I would stay away from anything liquid, such as cream or even more ricotta cheese as it can thin out the cauliflower mash.
- Substitute for Food Processor: A high-speed blender or an immersion blender can be used instead.
- Leftovers: Leftover mashed cauliflower can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Note: One of the important steps to getting a creamy consistency in a cauliflower mash is to get as much moisture out of the cauliflower before it is puréed. See post for detailed steps on how to do that.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 132
- Sugar: 1.6 g
- Sodium: 38.3 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.4 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 23.2 mg
Keywords: low carb side, keto, vegetable mash
Catharine Denomy says
I have recently been diagnosed with CKD (chronic kidney disease) and have had to go on a low potassium
diet. Although cauliflower is much lower in potassium than potatoes, I still need to know the potassium content of the cauliflower for the total daily amount to be at or under the daily limit.
I have come across many recipes that I would like to try but they did not include potassium in the nutritional guide.
Limuzyny Wrocław says
MMMM super delicious in my yummy. Love the cauliflower with garlic.
Actually my favorite one when it comes to your recipies!!!
Spread the love!
Katya says
Thank you!
Andrea says
Absolutely delicious!! Make this very often.. I made it ahead for Thanksgiving and heated in the oven. The garlic ( I used a whole head) carmelized even more. It was a bigger hit than the mashed potatoes!!
★★★★★
Katya says
Wow! That’s awesome. So glad it was a hit! Thank you Andrea.
Megan says
Looks great, where can I find the nutritional info?
Heather says
roast garlic in parchment paper…. I live without tinfoil too.
Monique says
I made the cauliflower mash last night. Oh my….I did not cook the cauliflower in salted water. Instead, I roasted the cauliflower along with two garlic cloves, two tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper for 20-25 minutes. Oh the aroma…heavenly! I followed the recipe, but add 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese. This was heavenly mash. Oh boy! It came out creamy and delicious. Also, you can reheat them in the microwave or stove. I have served my mash with sauté spinach and orange glaze salmon. I am thinking about using the leftover mash creating cauliflower mash cakes.
★★★★★
Katya says
Sounds SO good Monique! Thanks for sharing!
Colin says
Just made this and it turned out great. Reading you post, I was concerned about moisture from the cauliflower, so I was careful to drain it well. I used a large bowl with paper towels on the bottom and used more on top to squeeze it.
Also the first time I’ve roasted garlic like this and it was so easy to do.
Definitely will make this again. I might roast the cauliflower instead of boil and see how that turns out. Probably will change the flavor but won’t have to worry about moisture!
★★★★★
Katya says
Thanks Colin! Glad you loved it. I’m curious to know how it turns out with roasted cauliflower.
Stephanie says
Can I use frozen cauliflower? It’s all I have.
Katya says
I haven’t tried it with frozen so I can’t answer with 100% certainty but I would imagine it should work just fine. I would just get as much moisture as possible before pureeing.
Pippin Bismarck says
Nice presentation. Garlic : sounds like you mean “heads”, not “cloves” – do you ?
★★★★
Katya says
You need two cloves of garlic not a whole head.
Toni says
It is a garlic bulb and each section is called a clove of Garlic. So receipe is correct.
Rosy says
Haha. Plus there is an actual picture showing 2 cloves!
Martine says
Yum, this looks so tasty!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Katya says
Thank you so much!