When properly salted, cauliflower puree is rich, savory, and under-rated. When looking for an alternative to mashed potatoes, I always recommend cauliflower puree for it's thick, creamy texture and mild taste.
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White potatoes are not allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol diet because they are considered inflammatory, are high in sugar, and can be cross-reactive for individuals with gluten sensitivity.
While it may be possible to reintroduce them at some point, it's best to avoid them in the beginning. Cauliflower, however, is autoimmune friendly because it's gentle on the gut and won't spike your blood sugar. I've found that it can be difficult to feel full on AIP so it's really comforting to have something thick and filling that pairs well with different types of protein and vegetable sides (for example, these Roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic and honey).
🔪 Instructions
To make it, you take cooked cauliflower (boiled is faster; roasted is more flavorful) and pulse it in a food processor. It will get thick and creamy in a way that resembles mashed potatoes.
While most people associate pureed vegetables with fine dining, it's incredibly easy to make it yourself. As you can see, you just blend it, tasting as you go for fat, salt, and acid.
You can really make this recipe your own and adjust the thickness depending on how you plan to use it.
You can achieve a thick puree following my recipe template but feel free to thin it out a bit by adding chicken stock.
🧂 Seasoning
While salt provides the main seasoning in this recipe, umeboshi paste is a truly magnificent Japanese ingredient that I hope you'll try. In culinary school, we used umeboshi paste in a lot of vegan recipes as a replacement for cheese because it's kind of funky, super salty, and small amounts go a long way to making food taste really good.
For garnish, try:
- fresh herbs (parsley, chives, green onions, tarragon)
- crumbled bacon
- capers
- freshly shaved horseradish with lemon juice
📋 Recipe
This is adapted from my original Cauliflower Mash, which contains dairy to make it AIP compliant.
Cauliflower Puree {AIP, Gluten-Free, Dairy Free}
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower roughly cut into florets (about 3 pounds)
- 6 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil lard, ghee, avocado, or palm oil as substitutes
- ½ teaspoon umeboshi plum paste (optional) this is fermented and provides a slightly funky, sour flavor that is meant to resemble the taste of cheese (use lemon instead)
- sea salt and pepper (if tolerated)
Instructions
Cook the Cauliflower
- Place the cauliflower and garlic cloves in a Dutch oven or large pot with ½ cup water (or chicken stock for more flavor), two pinches of salt, and olive oil. Cover and poach over medium-high heat until "fall apart" tender, about 15 minutes.Note: If you don't cook your cauliflower enough, your puree will be grainy.
Puree the Cooked Cauliflower
- In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, work in batches to blend the cooked cauliflower and garlic cloves until smooth.
Season and Serve
- Taste and make adjustments to your taste preferences, adding salt, fat, or lemon, as desired. If you can find umeboshi paste, I love this ingredient for it's fermented, salty flavor because it can sometimes replace parmesan.
Nutrition
🥗 Side dishes
This puree tastes best as a side to protein. It's versatile, so you can try almost anything:
- Baked Pork and Beef Meatballs
- Seafood such as salmon, halibut, sea bass, or scallops
- Thanksgiving turkey with mushroom gravy
- Grilled steak with greens
📖 Variations
Instead of boiling the cauliflower in water, you can increase the flavor and nutrition by simmering in chicken stock. If you have an extra hour, I recommend roasting the cauliflower, which adds caramelized notes, then pureeing to get a roasted cauliflower puree.
sara says
Really enjoyed playing with the flavors at the end to get it just right. I'd love to try this with roasted garlic next time.