Scrumptious Cauliflower Spanish “Rice”

Isn’t this pretty?

I’m a little bit of a Spanish rice nut. Always have been.

In elementary school, I would drag my mom to some bad taco place after dance class every week just so I could get a scoop of the stuff. Now you know that about me.

Luckily, my eating habits have changed pretty drastically (for the better!) since those days. So when it comes to maintaining a low carb lifestyle, anything with rice in the title is probably a no-go.

Bur what is a girl with the heart of a chubby eight year old Spanish rice loving dancer to do?

Well, eight year old self, you’re in luck.

I have a recipe for you, and it’s a game changer.

Traditional Spanish rice is an unassuming combo of salsa, rice (duh), and onion, simple ingredients that come together to make this subtly magical dish.

So where does that leave me? I’m a big fan of salsa and onion, so no big change there. I found a pretty traditional recipe online and decided to sub the rice for the humble superstar that is cauliflower.

In terms of preparation, I used a modified version of my tried and true cauliflower risotto method.

By gradually adding in vegetable broth, you increase the volume (read: more food for fewer calories! woo!) while allowing extra time to let the flavors develop and get all friendly with each other. Because we like friendly flavors.

What I love about this method is that it’s so effective in creating a dish that’s bring-down-the-house delicious AND low calorie/low carb, and better yet, the whole thing comes together in only 25 minutes!

I’ve officially fallen for this red-hued beauty of a dinner. And I hope you do too!

Nutritional Breakdown

Calories

1 medium onion (44) + 2 garlic cloves (8) + 1 medium head cauliflower (64) + 1 cup salsa (40) + 2 cups veggie broth (10) + 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (45) / = 106 calories per serving

Net Carbs

1 medium onion (8g) + 2 garlic cloves (2g) + 1 medium head cauliflower (8g) + 1 cup salsa (8g) + 2 cups veggie broth (2g) + 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (2g) / = 15g net carbs per serving

Protein

1 medium onion (1g) + 2 garlic cloves (0g) + 1 medium head cauliflower (8g) + 1 cup salsa (0g) + 2 cups veggie broth (0g) + nutritional yeast (8g) / = 9g protein per serving

Adapted from All Recipes

Low Carb Spanish Rice

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Kelly Morrison

Yield: 2 large servings

Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium head cauliflower, processed into rice
1 cup salsa
2 cups veggie broth
¼ cup nutritional yeast*

Instructions

Add the diced onion to a large greased skillet over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and just starting to brown, about five minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add in salsa and cauliflower and stir until completed combined.
Pour in 1 cup of the vegetable broth and stir until combined. Stirring occasionally, cook until the cauliflower has completely absorbed the veggie broth. Then, deglaze the skillet with ½ cup of the veggie broth and cook until the cauliflower has absorbed the broth. Deglaze again with the remaining ½ cup broth and cook until the cauliflower has absorbed the broth.
Add in nutritional yeast or Parmesan if using. Stir in cilantro or parsley and serve! Devour.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 large serving (1/2 recipe) Calories: 106 Net Carbs: 15 grams Protein: 9 grams

Other favorite cauliflower recipes:

Cauliflower Popcorn