HOME > Chowhound > Home Cooking >


Any recipes to make cauliflower hater love cauliflower?

  • l

Want to make it palatable for my cauli hating husband! Any ideas?

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. Hard to say without knowing what he hates about it. The taste? The texture?

    How about cauliflower mash as an alternative to mashed potatoes? I've also taken the mash, mixed it with some cheese, sprinkled with parmesan, and baked into a pungent cauliflower cheese casserole. It's hard to even identify it as cauliflower; it just tastes cheesy and creamy. It also an easy way for two people to finish an entire head of cauliflower.

    4 Replies
    1. re: nooodles

      I concur with this...my husband will eat these "mock mashed potatoes" just fine, and he's a cauli-hater, too. :)

      If you're trying to be healthier, forgo all the cheese, and just use a little fat-free half-and-half and light butter. It's still great!

      1. re: wyf4lyf

        the classic no carb substitute. you could even cool it and use it as a substitute for your favorite potato salad recipe.

        1. re: byrd

          I've used the mashed cauli as a topping for shepherd's pie - mine's veg, but yours can be the meat kind...

          My mom also makes warm cauli salad with a shallot and anchovy vinaigrette that she pours over the top after roasting. It always disappears fast.

      2. re: nooodles

        We do Cauli. Mashed every week. We use about 1/4 cup of Potato Flakes added at the end. Cauli. is braised in stock and Fat Free Half and Half and Promise Marg. are also added at the end. It is our starch and our veggie. True comfort food.

      3. Roasted cauliflower can be amazing, and cauliflower soup is a great way to deal with any texture issues he might have. Sorry I don't have any specific recipes...

        1. Mrs. Swift HATES cauliflower but does she love roasted cauliflower soup. The trick is to roast the cauliflower flowerettes until very brown and caramelized, and to use a very rich chicken stock.

          1. par-boil the cauliflower (or steam) lightly until tender but firm. cut in to bit sized florettes.

            saute chopped onion (about a cup) in evoo or butter until browned. toss in cauli & chopped ham, until coated and ham is heated (this assume pre-cooked ham steak or similar).

            toss w/ cheese sauce of your choice (lots of great stove top mac & cheese recipes lately). top with bread crumbs if you like. bake until bubbly. I prefer a grueyere based sauce.

            it is not low fat, but he'll eat it up. :) you never new cauliflower could taste so good.

            1 Reply
            1. re: withalonge

              Yup, that's pretty much how I'd do it too. You can also just toss the cauliflower in hot butter and chopped cooked bacon, season generously and put it into a gratin pan with either a cheese sauce (really sharp cheddar is my choice) or just plenty of grated mixed cheeses and some panko crumbs and put that into a hot oven for a while. Do NOT overcook it, though, or it'll get all burnt-rubber cabbagey on you and Mr. Cauli-hater will probably run out the door!

            2. I turned around a cauli-hater once,
              With a recipe from Biba's Taste of Italy..fritti

              Basically, you shake cauliflower florets up with seasoned flour, fry, and salt.
              This is a divine appetizer, must be still warm and fresh. I put a little chopped parsley along with the salt, hot out of the pan.