This low carb Cauliflower Rice Pilaf has endless potential. It's a low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, keto side that goes with almost any main protein.
We have had such a tremendous week - both on the blog and at home. The sun has been shining, the mornings and evenings have been pleasantly cool and the afternoons warm. This is the kind of weather that makes me happy - happy. I love walking my circuit around the back yard, looking at all of the plants, wondering which roses are going to bloom next and which plants I will have to replace after our long hot dry Summer.
I love examining the flowers, searching out the life that is teaming on, among and around them. There have been quite a few aphid parties on the new shoots and buds of my roses, but they are easily dispatched - nothing a few minutes of morning finger-squashing can't handle. I've also found lots of green garden spiders and baby praying mantis, butterfly eggs and caterpillars, but interestingly no lady bugs yet.
My cat, Marmalade, follows me around and rubs his cheeks on branch and stem and then sits patiently until I move on to the next section of the yard. It's nice having a few minutes of solitude while my kids are in school; shortly it will be time for homework, soccer, swimming, errands or cooking, and suddenly, the end of another day. It all goes so fast...
Speaking of time going fast, do any of you remember when Rice Pilaf was all the rage? I do. Am I dating myself?
Rice Pilaf is long grained rice that is sauteed in butter and then cooked in a broth - usually chicken broth. It is commonly started on the stove, then placed in the oven to cook. It can be prepared many ways.
When I made rice pilaf, I always sauteed onions and garlic to flavor the oil before adding the rice. Sometimes, I would add vegetables to my pilaf like peas and carrots, other times I'd add wild rice, orzo, fruit, nuts, or even flavor the chicken broth with saffron, resulting in a more elegant pilaf. Each variation was great and we never got tired because it was always different - and always good.
This cauliflower rice pilaf is just as tasty as my old standard and is a terrific side that goes well with almost any protein. It's almost as versatile as the original recipe, but much lower in carbs. Riced cauliflower pilaf starts out very similar to traditional rice pilaf. It starts with flavoring butter or oil with onions and garlic, then the raw, riced cauliflower is sautéed until tender, crumbled bacon is stirred in and chopped parsley sprinkled on top.
Not only is this recipe tasty, but it satisfies many special diets including those that are gluten and grain-free, Paleo, low carb and dairy-free.
This terrific side that goes with any of your fancier entrees or it's great on its own as a one dish meal. I enjoyed it mixed with a little chopped chicken the other day and it made a great lunch. It's also great as a "rice bowl"! I can see endless possibilities with this dish and I encourage anyone to make this cauliflower rice pilaf their own by cooking to their own tastes.
Consider serving this alongside an elegant entree like Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms & Tarragon Cream, Pork Loin Piccata or even Turkey Marsalla.
Garlicky Oil & Vinegar Green Beans is another terrific side to accompany any meal.
Thinking of dessert? Nana's Cheese Pie, a simple no-crust cheesecake, is a very popular post!
Cauliflower Rice Pilaf is 4 net carbs per serving.
Gluten-Free, Low Carb Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 1 pounds cauliflower florets
- ¼ pound bacon about 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 2 ounces onion finely chopped, about ½ of a small onion
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into small chunks and grate them in a food processor or by hand.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy and remove from the pan, leaving the fat in the pan. While waiting on the bacon, finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
- Add the almonds and onion to the pan and saute until the onion is almost translucent. Add the garlic and cook with the onions and almonds for 1 minute. Add the cauliflower and cook until softened. Remove from heat.
- Stir the salt and pepper into the cauliflower pilaf and taste. Adjust seasoning. Crumble the bacon and stir into the cauliflower. Add the chopped parsley and stir or leave on top as a garnish. Zest a lemon over the top and serve.
Belinda
I’m no different than most low carbers, always trying out new cauliflower dishes and I decided your pic of the Key West Chicken with the totally delicious green beans and this pilaf looked like a good combo to try. Everything was really delicious but this took the prize! Everything about it is perfect! It even made it again and it starred as my main dish a few days later! Thanks for this, it’s both easy and tasty!
Alison
Hi Kim. Thank you for an awesome recipe. I started trying cauliflower and its awesome. One question, my mom is going thru cancer treatment and I really want her to try the LCHF diet. Can you suggest a replacement for
The bacon? As she can not get any process meats. Thank you!
Kim
Hi, Alison. Thank you for the compliment. Although hard to find, there is bacon free of nitrates and nitrites and I believe it's also uncured. In fact, I found some at Alberson's in Texas (the Mansfield area). I just used the bacon for it's smokey and salty flavor. You could leave it out if you wanted. It's good that your mom is reducing how much sugar she is eating. Make sure to watch how much soy and phyto-estrogens, too. From everything I've read, they can be really nasty. So, flax would be out. I wish her the best success with her treatment. I'll be thinking of her. -Kim
Sean
Hi
Did you miss adding the oil to the ingredients? You mention it in the description.
Thanks
Kim
Hi Sean, great question. I used the fat from cooking the bacon for the recipe. I just left it in the pan after removing the bacon and continued with the other ingredients. I hope this helps. -Kim
Carole Tallant
I had your pilaf tonight with a creamy shrimp, mushroom, and bacon skillet recipe. Since my husband and I love bacon, we were in seventh heaven. I've tried many, many different cauli-rice pilaf recipes and yours was by far the best. I really appreciated your giving the amount of onion in ounces, rather than just saying "1/2 of a small onion," because I'm never sure what constitutes "small" to others.
I have one suggestion (that I learned from the cookbook, Paleo Perfected) for getting the "rice" the perfect size. Process the cauliflower in two batches in a food processor by pulsing each batch 6-8 times. (I pulse 8 times.) The "kernels" are just the right size.
Thanks again for another outstanding recipe.
Kim
Thank you, Carole, for such a thoughtful and nice comment. Also, thank you for the tip on getting the cauliflower rice just the right size. I'll have to try that next time. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. -Kim
Jenine Davidson
Can't wait to try love cauliflower thanks
Billie
Any way you could tell me how many cups this makes, trying to figure out how much a serving is. It says 10 servings, but not the amount of each serving!
Kim
Billie, I would have to make the dish again now and measure to give you an exact amount ... But, I made it in a 14 inch pan so I'm going to guess about 1/3 - 1/2 cup (not packed) of cauliflower rice. I hope this helps. -Kim
Veronica
Yum! Looks so healthy and satisfying! I love cauliflower...pinning this!
Kim
Hi Veronica! Thanks, it's a great side. Hope you like it.
-Kim