This Cauliflower Rice Pilaf Recipe makes a delicious side dish. This quick and easy recipe can be part of a low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, keto, LCHF, Atkins or Banting diet.

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This Cauliflower Rice Pilaf Recipe may be quick and easy, but still makes an impressive side dish. The cauliflower rice is sautéed in garlic butter. Pine nuts add a delicious crunch and nutty flavor. Finally, a bit of basil adds even more Mediterranean flavor. 

Have you tried riced cauliflower, yet? I find it is becoming one of my favorite low-carb side dishes. Riced cauliflower is simply cauliflower chopped into little rice-size pieces. This can be done at home by using a grater or in a food processor. After chopping it is usually a bit wet. Because of this, I recommend wrapping  in a towel and squeezing it to get out any excess before cooking.

While riced cauliflower can be made at home, I find it is much easier to purchase it pre-chopped. It’s often found in the produce section as well as in the frozen vegetable section. I love to get it frozen so I can keep it handy at all times. I generally use it straight from the bag without bothering to defrost it. In addition to being more convenient, I find that frozen riced cauliflower has less of a cauliflower taste than the fresh does. I’m not sure why. 

This recipe was inspired by the need for a quick side. All I had was a bag of riced cauliflower in the freezer. I popped it together with some pine nuts and garlic and, while it was delicious, I found that the addition of basil in a subsequent version made it even better.

This Cauliflower Rice Pilaf recipe is so versatile!  It goes well with almost any meat. Even though it’s a great side dish, the pine nuts make it filling enough to make a lunch on its own (you may want to double up on the serving size).

It’s also easy to make this recipe your own. You can add some olives, capers, or sun-dried tomatoes to increase the Mediterranean flair. Toss in some leftover chicken and make a complete meal out of it. Use your imagination! Enjoy!

-Annissa

Looking for an easy side dish the whole family will love? This recipe for cauliflower rice pilaf fits the bill! 😋🍚🍛❤️

5 from 2 votes

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Cauliflower Rice Pilaf Recipe

This Cauliflower Rice Pilaf Recipe makes a delicious side dish. This quick and easy recipe can be part of a low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, keto, LCHF, Atkins or Banting diet.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 9 minutes

Total Time 14 minutes

Servings 4

Author Annissa Slusher

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 ounces riced cauliflower (frozen is fine)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves stacked and sliced thinly
• sea salt
• black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat.

   

2. When butter has stopped foaming, add the pine nuts and cook until fragrant, about one minute--or a little longer if you want the nuts toasted.

   

3. Stir in riced cauliflower. Cook cauliflower over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8-10 minutes. 

   

4. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the basil and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

   

Recipe Notes

Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe (about 3 ounces)

Calories: 90

Fat (g): 9

Carbs (g): 3

Fiber (g): 1

Protein (g): 1

Net carbs (g): 2

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