Healthy Cauliflower Side Dish Recipes

Get all the flavor of classic everything bagels with fewer carbs and calories. These grain-free cauliflower bagels leave plenty of room for garlicky everything bagel seasoning and a schmear of cream cheese.

This roasted Buffalo cauliflower salad tastes indulgent but is absolutely virtuous. The salad is packed with all the Buffalo wing essentials--carrots, celery, a creamy dressing and blue cheese. And cauliflower, with all its nooks and crannies, is even better at soaking up Buffalo sauce than chicken wings!

This vegetarian version of chicken Parmesan uses cauliflower "steaks" in place of chicken, and has all the classic comforting flavors, without the meat! The steaks are cooked until just tender and topped with a rich sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. Despite their names, classic Italian-American chicken Parm and eggplant Parm don't always contain Parmesan cheese. If it's not “Parm” to you without Parm, feel free to sprinkle on a little grated Parmesan after you add the sauce to the cauliflower cutlets.

You'll slash 131 calories and 19 grams carbohydrate when you trade in your brown rice for finely chopped cauliflower in this healthy cauliflower rice recipe. For an even faster rice pilaf, use 4 cups of purchased cauliflower rice instead of making your own. Look for it near other fresh or frozen prepared vegetables.

When cauliflower is pulsed in a food processor, it magically turns into a vegetable that really resembles white rice. In this easy recipe, cauliflower rice is made into an herbed pilaf.

In this stunning, healthy cauliflower recipe, a head of cauliflower is cut into thick slabs then roasted until caramelized and served with chimichurri, a garlic-herb sauce. The cauliflower steaks make a fine accompaniment to actual steaks, or better still, serve them on their own as a vegetarian alternative to steak. Each head of cauliflower will provide 2 to 3 steaks from the center--the sides tend to crumble. For a truly show-stopping presentation, use the center portion of 2 heads and save the rest of the cauliflower for another recipe that calls for cauliflower florets.

This whole roasted cauliflower recipe is incredibly easy--and requires just 5 minutes of active time--but delivers a healthy side dish that's impressive enough for entertaining. A mixture of Parmesan cheese and balsamic glaze adds tons of flavor. Serve with roast chicken, turkey or pork or as part of a vegetarian meal.

Restaurant-style Mexican rice (sometimes called Spanish rice) gets a healthy, low-carb makeover in this recipe that swaps white rice for riced cauliflower. Cooked with other flavorful ingredients like tomatoes, jalapeño and cilantro, this makes the perfect, festive side for taco night.

This festive holiday salad recipe features plenty of oven-roasted broccoli and cauliflower combined with massaged kale. Why massage the kale? It helps tenderize the leaves and infuses the sweet-tangy flavor of the dressing directly into the heart of this healthy winter salad.

The term “cauliflower mashed potatoes” usually means subbing cauliflower for potatoes completely, but in this recipe we use both cauliflower and potatoes: Yukon Golds add to the buttery hue of the mash and their waxy texture balances out the more watery cauliflower to keep it velvety. The mash is easy enough to make as a weeknight dinner recipe, but it would also make an excellent side dish for Thanksgiving or another special occasion.

This cauliflower "potato" salad recipe has all the flavor of your traditional potato salad--without the potato. We slashed carbs from this classic salad by using cauliflower instead, but kept all the familiar flavors the same.

Roasting intensifies the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and gives the cauliflower a wonderful nutty flavor in this simple, healthy side dish. A sprinkling of garlic powder and Parmesan cheese makes the dish really special. Serve this easy side along with pork or chicken or add to a grain bowl for a vegetarian dinner.

Cauliflower rice stands in for arborio in this recipe that's not only lower in carbs than traditional risotto, but also way faster and easier to make! In just 20 minutes you'll have a flavorful and healthy vegetable side to go with dinner.

You'll be craving your vegetables with this easy and oh-so-delicious recipe. Cauliflower gets sweet and tender as it caramelizes from the high heat of roasting. A sprinkling of Cheddar and herbs and a squeeze of lemon on top make it crave-worthy.

Whir cauliflower into a creamy low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes. This easy recipe gets a kick of flavor from garlic-infused olive oil, making it a dairy-free (and vegan) vegetable side dish.

Cauliflower stands in for potato in this taterless cauliflower tot recipe. Cauliflower is mashed, then mixed with cheese and given a crispy breadcrumb coating before being baked. These healthy cauliflower tater tots make a delicious side dish, appetizer or movie-night snack. Dip them in regular ketchup or make a spicy dipping sauce: Combine 1/3 cup ketchup with 2 tablespoons sriracha chile sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

This quickly pickled, spicy Italian salad of mixed sliced vegetables is great for an antipasto platter, served with grilled meat or chopped up and put on a sandwich.

An air fryer delivers nutty roasted cauliflower with a nice hit of zippy lemon flavor and a hint of coriander in this easy side dish that's perfect for most any meal.

Nonfat milk and a bit of sharp Cheddar combine to make a rich sauce without all the butter usually found in gratins.

Our spin on the traditional Venetian risotto swaps in cauliflower rice for arborio rice in this healthy vegetable side dish. Spring peas and Parmesan cheese keep the rest of the dish classic.

In this healthy vegetable side dish recipe, the flavors of Lebanese lubiyeh (green beans and lamb braised in a flavorful tomato sauce) are applied to cauliflower with delicious results.

Roasted cauliflower and lemon segments tossed with Parmesan and capers makes an easy side dish. Pair it with roast chicken.

This veggie-packed side-dish vegetable soup can be made in the slow cooker. Just make a few tweaks (see Variation).

These homemade low-carb wraps are made with grated cauliflower and sharp Cheddar cheese and are lightly spiced with cumin and paprika. Not only are they low in carbs, but they're also gluten-free. Use them in place of store-bought wraps or tortillas and stuff them with your favorite taco and sandwich fillings.