Who needs calorie-dense mashed potatoes when you have Cauliflower-Parsnip Puree?
Who needs calorie-dense mashed potatoes when you have Cauliflower-Parsnip Puree? Seriously, you don’t! This recipe has all the flavor and texture of your favorite dinner side with significantly fewer calories. Each serving has only 107 calories (as compared to the 206 calories found in our healthy version of Garlic and Thyme Mashed Potatoes). How did we do it? Well, for starters, both cauliflower and parsnips have fewer carbohydrates than potatoes. While developing this recipe, we also found that you don’t need dairy at all to make this puree rich and flavorful. All of that saves calories, allowing you to enjoy a creamy, rich puree without feeling guilty about it.
Cauliflower-Parsnip Puree
You might be wondering how we made this dairy-free Cauliflower-Parsnip Puree taste as good as classic mashed potatoes. It really wasn’t that hard! By simmering the vegetables in chicken broth, we were able to infuse an insane amount of flavor into the puree. Once the cauliflower and parsnips are tender with a fork, you can eat them straight away without the need for any butter or cream!
Then, to make sure we preserved all the nutrients, we pureed the cauliflower and parsnips with the chicken broth. That makes sure that any water-soluble vitamins and minerals that seeped into the cooking liquid would make their way into your belly. You won’t need all the chicken broth for the blending step. Otherwise, you’ll end up with soup instead of a mashed-potato-like consistency! But make sure to hang onto the broth for another time. It makes an excellent addition to soups and stews, considering that it absorbed all that tasty flavor from the spicy parsnips.
Serve Cauliflower-Parsnip Puree as a healthy addition to Thanksgiving dinner, for a dinner party alongside grilled chicken or roasted vegetables, or mix it with grains to add flavor to your favorite power bowl for lunch.
Cauliflower-Parsnip Puree
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small shallot minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces cauliflower florets frozen
- 1 pound parsnips peeled, woody core removed, outer flesh cut into 1" cubes
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat soup pot over medium heat.
- Add olive oil and allow to heat 1 minute.
- Add shallot & garlic, and saute another minute, until fragrant.
- Add cauliflower, parsnips and chicken broth.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook about 30 minutes, or until parsnips and cauliflower are tender and mashed easily with a fork.
- Drain broth, reserving 1/4 cup.
- Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding reserved broth only if needed to reach the right consistency. Puree should resemble slightly runny mashed potatoes. Be sure not to add too much liquid, or you will end up with soup instead.
- Add salt & pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information
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What a great recipe loved parsnips added sweetness and otherwise bland cauliflower