Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp

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You and I both know cooking cauliflower smells like you are boiling socks. No, don’t go feeling sorry for poor ol’ cauliflower. Its story runs parallel to the 4-eyed, brace-face wall flower, who matures and becomes the most popular girl in school, prom queen in fact! Cauliflower, the vegetable that smells like sulfur and was never first pick, has morphed into the “it” vegetable of the low carb world.

Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp is the perfect dish for any meal!

This is a recipe I made up a few years ago, when I was looking for a low carb alternative to mashed potatoes. I had seen the promises that mashed cauliflower tastes EXACTLY like mashed potatoes……..uhhh nope! They tasted nothing like my mashed potatoes. They were very good, but why compare? Let the potato shine in all its glory, spuds are awesome! Mashed cauliflower still tastes like cauliflower, which is also good, because that what it is! I just wanted something with a little more sumpin’, sumpin’ and my version of Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp was born.

I experimented with a few recipes and in doing so, found a couple variations of cauliflower that I really loved! This Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp has a smooth texture and cheesy taste. You can make it just before dinner and serve it immediately or place it in a casserole dish and bake it later.

There is never a complaint when Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp is on the menu!

If you are looking for the texture of creamy grits and shrimp with a lil’ flare of the Southwest, give Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp a try. Cauliflower is not a starchy vegetable, which means it is a perfect for low carb aficionados. It provides the warm, thick, comfort food yumminess many are looking for and you can actually eat quite a bit of it without feeling bloated., winner!

For the shrimp we used we used Salt Free Paleo Powder Seasoning, specifically the Herbed All-purpose. The flavor is amazing!! It has a lot of herbs and spices with a cayenne and black pepper kick. This makes for a perfect sauce to spoon over the top of Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp.

Cauliflower is one vegetable that you can really dress up! There are many different add-ins that elevate it to another level. Garlic and herbs, rosemary is my favorite. Different cheeses; smoked cheddar (amazing), Swiss, pepper jack for some heat. Don’t forget butter, everything really is better with butter. Sour cream and cream cheese are always a hit or add crunchy bacon on top, maybe even some chopped chopped green onions, parsley or cilantro. If you aren’t watching your carbs, bread crumbs sautéed in garlic butter, then sprinkle over the top before baking, casserole style is RIDICULOUS!

Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp

Oma Darling
This Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp is a base of soft, cheesy cauliflower topped with luscious shrimp, bathed in a buttery, herbed and spicy sauce.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large head cauliflower, broken down into pieces
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cube butter
  • 12 ounces grated, cheddar cheese
  • 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)

Shrimp

  • 2 lbs raw shrimp, tails removed (I use 21-25 size from Costco)
  • 1 Tablespoon Paleo Powder, Salt Free Herbed blend
  • 1 cube butter
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Separate and cook cauliflower in water until fork tender, then drain water.
  • Add hot, drained cauliflower back into pot and immediately add butter, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic, cayenne and salt. Mix with electric mixer until smooth. **taste your cauliflower, you may need a little more salt depending on the cheese you use**

For the Shrimp; In a large skillet, add olive oil and butter, melt over medium heat.

  • Add fish sauce and Salt Free Paleo Powder Herb Blend and mix to incorporate in the oil/butter.
  • Add shrimp to skillet, tossing to coat in herbed butter mixture. Cook shrimp until no longer opaque or they have just turned pink, but no longer or your shrimp will be tough. Add salt to taste at this point.
  • Place serving of cheesy cauliflower into a dish and top with shrimp and sauce. Enjoy!
Keyword Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp, Low Carb

What’s the saying, “If you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig?” Same thing applies here folks. Put lipstick on your cauliflower and its…… well inedible, but you catch my drift. Its okay if your cauliflower tastes like cauliflower, it is an amazing, versatile vegetable. If you want a potato, just have a potato (a little tater if you are watching your carbs), but don’t try to disguise your cauliflower and pretend it’s a potato. Give my Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp a try and enjoy it in all its cauliflower wonder! Enjoy friends!

What is your favorite way to enjoy cauliflower?

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9 thoughts on “Cheesy Cauliflower and Shrimp”

  1. 5 stars
    Being from the South I was pretty skeptical to try substituting my grits with cauliflower. But the doctor said I needed to give it a try. Dang doctor and her crazy ideas.
    Anyway, I have to say that I really liked it. I don’t know if I could say that I loved it, because I still have a deep affinity for grits. But this was darn tasty.

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    What in blue blazes just happened?!? My grits got replaced by… cauliflower? It’s always been shrimp and grits, fried ham and grits or even cheesy grits with crawfish and mussels. Now we have cauliflower as the go to replacement. I spiced it up a bit with a little Tabasco and was immediately transported to a new world. Absolutely incredible. Can’t say that grits are out of my life but I will say I’m sold, whole hog on this cauliflower concoction. Great dish!

    Reply
    • Jane, I at one point had the carbs figured out for this, but have since lost that info and never paid attention to it again. Because, when I initially figured it out, it was a nice and low carb recipe, I was always comfortable just knowing that it is low carb and never recalculated it.

      Reply

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