Healthy Cauliflower Side Dish Recipes

Is your garden booming? Making quick pickles is a low-pressure way to use up your bounty. Mix and match the vegetables as you see fit; just try to maintain a variety of textures and colors. Tip: After you finish a jar, use the leftover brine to make vinaigrette.

This creamy cauliflower mash makes a perfect low-carb stand-in for mashed potatoes. Here we take simple mashed cauliflower and mix in garlic, buttermilk and a touch of butter to create a flavorful side dish that has about one-quarter of the calories of typical mashed potatoes. If you like, vary it by adding shredded low-fat cheese or chopped fresh herbs.

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.

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

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 the whole roasted cauliflower with roast chicken, turkey or pork or as part of a vegetarian meal.

Gone are the days when your rice choices were limited to white and brown. In this healthy vegetarian dinner recipe, the aromatic flavor of red rice or brown basmati jibes deliciously with fragrant curry powder. Because you need 2 whole heads of cauliflower to get 4 cauliflower steaks, you'll have leftover cauliflower florets to use up. Roast the florets alongside the steaks, then toss them with some chickpeas and tzatziki sauce for a healthy lunch (see Tip, below).

Biryanis are rice-based casseroles that combine a saucy meat, vegetable or legume curry with basmati rice, whole spices, nuts and raisins. This particular dish is a nutritional powerhouse, thanks to the mustard greens and chickpeas. Look for the specialty spices--cardamom pods, saffron and garam masala--in the spice section of well-stocked supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

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.

We replaced pasta with cauliflower in this creamy low-carb "mac" and cheese. A sprinkle of Parmesan on top and a quick trip under the broiler gives this cheesy side dish a savory, crispy crust.

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 creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad has a fabulous crunch. The salad holds well and is perfect for potlucks and picnics. Our version has considerably less sugar than most Amish salad recipes and is lighter because we use a mixture of low-fat Greek yogurt and mayonnaise for the dressing.

Crispy slices of roasted cauliflower topped with cheese, sour cream and bacon make a tasty low-carb alternative to classic loaded potato skins.

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.

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.

If you like French onion soup, you'll love this baked cauliflower coated in melted Gruyère cheese and sweet caramelized onions. Enjoy this as a side dish alongside roast chicken or steak, or as a healthy appetizer. We called for vegetarian Worcestershire sauce in this recipe to keep the recipe vegetarian, but if you don't care about it being vegetarian, feel free to use regular Worcestershire.

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.

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

Reaching for a frozen broccoli & cauliflower blend to make this flavor-packed side dish helps save time on chopping, plus the frozen veggies cook quicker than fresh!

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.

You'll love this low-carb mini casserole version of loaded baked potatoes! Tangy sour cream coats chopped cauliflower and bakes with Cheddar cheese, bacon and onion in ramekins for you to enjoy your own personal comfort-food casserole.

This creamy roasted cauliflower dip has the texture of hummus but swaps chickpeas for roasted cauliflower and walnuts for tahini. A head of roasted garlic--which is cooked at the same time as the cauliflower--gives it great flavor.

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.

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.