Description
This cauliflower rice recipe is a healthy and flavorful alternative to traditional rice, featuring the fresh taste of basil and the crunch of pine nuts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups finely chopped cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or slightly more if you don’t have a good non-stick pan)
- 3 large garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Finely chop the cauliflower into pieces that are about the size of grains of rice, or slightly bigger. Be careful not to get them too small; you want some texture in the cauliflower.
- Slice the garlic cloves into 2-3 slices each and grate the Parmesan cheese.
- Wash basil if needed and spin dry or dry with paper towels, then thinly slice the basil.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan for 1-2 minutes, just until they are barely starting to brown.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook about 30-45 seconds, or just until you can smell garlic. Don’t brown the garlic; that will make it bitter.
- Remove garlic and discard; then add the cauliflower and stir-fry until it’s barely cooked through, about 4 minutes. Season cauliflower with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Then turn off the heat and one at a time gently stir in the Parmesan, the sliced basil, and the pine nuts.
- Serve hot. This cauliflower rice recipe isn’t bad when it’s stored in the fridge overnight, but the flavor of the fresh basil really shines through best when it’s freshly made.
Notes
- For best results, chop the cauliflower using a food processor to achieve uniform grain size.
- The texture of the cauliflower should remain slightly firm after cooking.
- Fresh basil is recommended for optimal flavor delivery.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 5mg