Cauliflower Risotto with Mushrooms

Prep 12 min
Total 30 min
Ingredients 7
Servings 4

We could say this cauliflower risotto with mushrooms is a distant cousin of the traditional Italian risotto. Italian risotto is a creamy dish made with Arborio rice, stock, or wine and cheese. Our cauliflower risotto looks similar but it’s much lighter and it’s crunchier. Obviously, this is not prepared with rice, but it’s an excellent option when you need a quick and light side dish. Mushrooms make it thicker and Cotija cheese is a delicious variation to the parmesan cheese that is usually used in Italian risotto. MORE + LESS -

Ingredients

small cauliflower

tablespoons butter

garlic cloves, finely chopped

oz. mushrooms, sliced

2/3

cups chicken stock

oz. Cotija cheese

Chopped parsley (optional)

Directions

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1

Remove the green stems from the cauliflower and chop into small florets.
2

Put a layer of cauliflower florets in the food processor and pulse until you get the “rice”. It takes about 18-22 pulses per batch. Repeat until you’ve processed all the florets. Don’t put them all in the processor at the same time because the sizes will be uneven. It usually takes 3-4 batches.
3

Melt the butter in a pan and brown the garlic. This will only take a few seconds.
4

Add the sliced mushrooms. I like baby bella mushrooms because they’re dark brown, look great and only take about 1 minute to cook.
5

Add the cauliflower “rice” and stir for another minute.
6

Pour the chicken stock, stir, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 more minutes or until the stock has evaporated.
7

Cover with the cotija cheese and chopped parsley if you want.
8

Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

If you want a vegetarian cauliflower risotto with mushrooms, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
You can save some time by buying the cauliflower already cleaned and chopped into florets. You can find the bags in the fruits and vegetables aisle at the supermarket, usually by the salads.