Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower

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Surprise your loved ones with this family-friendly Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower. It’s a paleo (and Whole30) side dish that will guarantee smiles!

Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower Recipe - The Whole Smith's for Tastes of Lizzy T

I understand the entire family may not be on board for clean eating but there are some sure-fire tricks to get the to come around. And bacon just may be one of them! Now let’s not get crazy adding bacon to everything because, well, that’s not so healthy either. But if it gets my family to try something new and enjoy it, I’m all for it. And that’s just what I did with this mashed cauliflower recipe.

When my family and I first started following a paleo diet, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a new way of looking at food. I wanted to focus on all of the foods I *could* be eating rather than the foods I was now avoiding. I found myself adding more and more vegetables and fruits into our diet and using them in ways that I previously hadn’t thought about. I was stuffing bell peppers with sandwich toppings rather than squeezing them in between bread and using frozen bananas to make “ice cream”.

Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower Recipe - The Whole Smith's for Tastes of Lizzy T

And I have to confess, when I saw cauliflower being mashed as a mashed potato substitute and in cauliflower casserole, I was dubious. How on earth could cauliflower ever replicate that creamy homey-ness I got out of good ‘ol fashioned mashed potatoes. But you know what? They do! In fact, this year I made them as part of my dad’s birthday dinner and he didn’t even realize it was cauliflower until my mom commented on how good the cauliflower was. I believe his exact words were, “Oh! I forgot to get some cauliflower on my plate”. My mom and I looked around and laughed as he had already eaten all of his mashed cauliflower. Thanks Dad!

Mashed cauliflower alone is delicious, but I do like to spruce it up from time to time just like with this recipe. If you enjoy cheese, a bit of gorgonzola is amazing in this recipe so feel free to add some.

One trick I’ve learned making mashed cauliflower is to not over-steam the cauliflower as it could make the mash a bit thinner than desirable. You want to steam them until they are fork tender but not mushy. I also pull them off of the steam for a bit and let some additional of the additional moisture come off.

Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower Recipe - The Whole Smith's for Tastes of Lizzy T

Needless to say, the kids love this recipe. You can serve it as a side to your protein or serve your protein right over top. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family does!

Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower Recipe - The Whole Smith's for Tastes of Lizzy T
Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower Recipe - The Whole Smith's for Tastes of Lizzy T

Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower

5 from 1 vote
Surprise your loved ones with this family-friendly Bacon & Thyme Mashed Cauliflower. It’s a paleo (and Whole30) side dish that will guarantee smiles!
Servings 6
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • 2 lbs cauliflower florets
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons ghee or grass-fed butter
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil and steam cauliflower florets and garlic cloves until tender.
  • Meanwhile, cook 6 slices of bacon to desired crispness.
  • Once cooked, remove bacon and pulse in a food processor or blender until small bits are created.
  • Once cauliflower is cooked through add to a blender along with ghee or butter and process until smooth.

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 452mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 72.8mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 80

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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gail williams
6 years ago

5 stars
I love your addition to this dish and I will try it for sure. I make Cauli mash all the time steamed in Chicken Broth and 1 head garlic. Also when I mash it up I add 8 oz block of cream cheese with 2 TB butter. Your recipes sounds great.

Kera Williams
8 years ago

What’s a good non-dairy substitute for butter and ghee in your recipes? Coconut oil?

Real Food with Dana
9 years ago

That’s so funny about your dad! I’ve made mashed cauliflower so many times, but don’t know why I never thought to but bacon in it! Can’t wait to try this out!

Chrissa - Physical Kitchness
9 years ago

Hi there! I featured this recipe in my fall recipe round up post today at http://physicalkitchness.com/healthy-paleo-fall-recipes/
Thank you for the inspiration! 

Linda
9 years ago

Your recipe is very interesting and looks delicious. I’ll try it maybe with some mix.