subbing cauliflower for rice?

alteredsteve175
alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,725 Member
edited November 22 in Recipes
It's getting cold here in Idaho and I have been craving some low carb jambalaya. I would like to substitute cauliflower for the rice. I thought I would use a box grater to shred the cauliflower into rice sized pieces. Then put that in the slow cooker along with the other ingredients.

Have you ever tried something like this? Will the cauliflower hold its shape and texture? I don't want it to become mush if it cooks all day.

Thanks for your advise.

Replies

  • BodyByButter
    BodyByButter Posts: 563 Member
    I made some stew a few days ago using riced cauliflower. It was great. By the time it was reheated for leftovers the cauliflower had sort of disappeared though, like it melted into the broth.
  • ulookyhere
    ulookyhere Posts: 3 Member
    I have had better success steaming it to very tender, then "ricing" it (basically cutting it up into tiny rice-sized pieces), and then eating it on the side or putting whatever stew/dish on top. It doesn't disappear that way. And it tends to get pungent when left over, so I only make enough for that dish, then steam another batch for leftover stews or whatever. I steam mine in a steamer bag in the microwave (~4.5 minutes full bag), and it works great for me.
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    I think slow cooking would over cook it. I had better luck stir-frying it. The video was very helpful. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wtgRvDQ4xM8
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you cook it in the slow cooker, it's going to disintegrate...you would need to put it in later or cook separately. Texture wise, it won't be remotely close to the rice.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    I agree with the above. If you overcook it, it'll lose any "rice" texture and will turn mushy. I'd cook it separately and mix it in when serving the soup. Store in a separate container.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Lately I've discovered the pre-riced versions in the frozen isle. If you add them to soup don't microwave them first. They are great for a quick substitute for rice for fried rice, which is what I usually use them for.
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,725 Member
    Thanks, all y'all. I will prepare the jambalaya separately. Then cook some cauliflower and combine it in the bowls at serving time.

    Is there another low carb alternative to rice that would work for this sort of concoction?
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    alteredstates175 wrote: »
    Thanks, all y'all. I will prepare the jambalaya separately. Then cook some cauliflower and combine it in the bowls at serving time.

    Is there another low carb alternative to rice that would work for this sort of concoction?

    Cauliflower is probably about it. Quinoa is a possibility but it's much higher in calories than cauliflower. Not sure about carbs. It's basically a seed.
  • liyah247
    liyah247 Posts: 1 Member
    I use riced cauliflower that's pre packaged. It works great. I.99 a bag at Trader Joes.
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,725 Member
    Did a recipe search. Found a recipe that uses cabbage. Think I will try that and just leave the rice out. Should have plenty of texture.

    Also found some recipes that just leave out the rice. I could live with that.
  • Holly_Wood_888
    Holly_Wood_888 Posts: 268 Member
    We substitute cawliflower for rice ALL THE TIME for our stuffed peppers! Amazing, still filling and not as heavy. Fast carbs! I believe no matter what you do, it WILL be mushy - especially in a crockpot where its steaming for a length of time, don't sweat it, go with the flow ... otherwise, maybe stick it in whatever your cooking last so it might stay a little crunchy
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,268 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    If you cook it in the slow cooker, it's going to disintegrate...you would need to put it in later or cook separately. Texture wise, it won't be remotely close to the rice.

    Yes to this.

    I made a slow-cooker cauliflower soup last night. More than 3 hrs on "high" in the cooker (3+ to basic cook, pureed in the hot crock for a while with a stick blender, then about 30 min with dairy and final seasoning added). The cauliflower, which I had chopped into about 1-1.5 inch chunks, kept its shape until I pureed the mixture, but was way too soft to go through a "ricing" step at that point. Smaller pieces cook faster, so I'd expect raw rice-sized granules to be very fast cooking - add towards the end as suggested above. How long? I don't know offhand; might need to experiment. And, as noted above, it'll probably be squishy anyway - even if you actually "cook" it for a short time, it'll still continue with the heat/moisture in the rest of the mixture.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,230 Member
    That will mush. You're better off making the jambalya without rice, then lightly steaming the riced cauli before serving
  • WilmaValley
    WilmaValley Posts: 1,092 Member
    These are great suggestions!
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    That will mush. You're better off making the jambalya without rice, then lightly steaming the riced cauli before serving

    Yes....very true!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Use 50/50 rice and cauliflower to reduce carbs and cals but keep some texture. Cook them separately as said upthread.
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    I like riced cauliflower, but I like the cauliflower chunky more. I usually make rice for others in my family, and I’ll just have a little, but then I’ll also have steamed cauliflower and cooked greens, with whatever the topping is.
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