A healthier side dish option to mix up weeknight dinners!
I love side dishes. The possibilities are endless and it keeps dinner from being blah and boring each meal. This Cheesy Zucchini Cauliflower Rice dish isn’t the most attractive food to photograph, but the creamy texture and taste make up for it!
When cauliflower rice became a new trend, I jumped right on it and started using it as a low carb substitute to my normal starchy and carb heavy sides because occasionally we need to lighten up a meal throughout the week.
I do not eat a strict Keto diet, but a low carb lifestyle is something that intrigues me. I love to take a traditional recipe and manipulate it to fit different diets, lifestyles and dietary needs. With that said, this is a Keto friendly recipe for those that follow those guidelines!
I recently bought a giant bag of riced cauliflower at Sam’s Club and freezes well to use for multiple dishes throughout the month. Some prefer to rice their own cauliflower from florets, but with a new baby, we are all about time saving in our house, so this bulk bag was a great find for us!
The cheesy riced cauliflower would have been great on its own, but I decided to throw in my favorite vegetable, zucchini, to add some color and extra texture to the dish.
Let’s dive in..
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces cauliflower rice
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large pan or skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Mix in thawed cauliflower and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in zucchini, then cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until zucchini is cooked. Then stir in seasonings (garlic powder, salt and pepper).
- Create an opening in the center of the pan/skillet, then add in the heavy cream and cream cheese. Stir in with the cauliflower and zucchini mixture until it is melted and well combined. Dish should be creamier at this point. Next add in shredded cheddar and mix until well combined.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
