Creamy Cauliflower Casserole

creamy cauliflower casserole recipe

Creamy Cauliflower Casserole – Keto Friendly!

As I mentioned in my last recipe post, Scott and I have been trying to eat less carbs and this creamy cauliflower casserole is now his new favorite side dish! What’s funny about this, is that when Scott and I met seventeen years ago, he hated cauliflower! I remember the South Beach Diet had replaced mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower and he couldn’t choke it down.

Of course, “everything cauliflower” is now the rage these days, which works for me, because I love it! Next week I’m making a few recipes that use “cauliflower rice” and instead of making it myself, I’m going to buy it pre-made. I will let you know how it works.

We have been trying a few “Keto” recipes that are on Pinterest. Of course, being a cook, I end up changing the recipes to our own tastes. Since it’s been so hot this summer, I have been avoiding cooking anything in the oven. Finally this past week, it cooled off and it was the perfect night to bake a casserole. Everyone loves “twice baked potatoes”, so I decided to try and mimic that with cauliflower.

I also used a secret ingredient to add to the “bacon” flavor I love in twice baked potatoes. It’s a Chardonnay Oak Smoked French Sea Salt that I bought when we were in Gig Harbor from “For the Love of Spice” Store. If you haven’t been there yet – this is another reason to go!

creamy cauliflower casserole

The dish turned out great – BUT it is super rich! I made the mistake of serving it with creamy garlic  chicken and it was over the top in comfort food. Actually I think the dish would have been great on its’ own by just adding cooked chicken to it.  Since our boat does not have an oven, this dish could also be “baked” on the stove top or in a table top oven like ours. We use our Xpress Redi Set Go Cooker all of the time!

Let us know what your favorite low carb recipes are – we’d love to hear from you. Enjoy and happy cooking!  Ally

#BoatingJourney #GalleyRecipes

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Creamy Cauliflower Casserole Yum
This creamy cauliflower casserole is a great alternative to twice baked potatoes! Even kids will love it!
creamy cauliflower casserole recipe
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword galley recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword galley recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
creamy cauliflower casserole recipe
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces. Place cauliflower in a steamer basket with a cup of water, cover and cook for about 3 minutes when it begins to boil. You don't want to "cook" the cauliflower, you simply want it to begin to sweat and soften slightly. Immediately remove from heat and remove lid to let it cool down.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add prociutto, onions, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until slightly caramelized. Add butter to melt.
    creamy cauliflower casserole
  3. In a separate bowl, mix whipping cream, sour cream and shredded cheese. Add mushroom and onion mixture. Gently add cauliflower and mix until blended well. Spray a 9" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray and pour in cauliflower mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes until golden brown. If you like it crispy on top, you can broil it for about 2 minutes - just be sure to watch it closely.
    creamy cauliflower casserole recipe
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Chicken Pasta Primavera with Spring Vegetables

boating galley recipes

Skillet Chicken Pasta Primavera with Spring Vegetables

My skillet chicken pasta primavera recipe includes my favorite Spring vegetables and you can swap out or add any of yours. During the warm weather months, I would rather spend my time outdoors than in my kitchen, so I love to whip up quick easy meals.

boating galley recipes

This pasta dish is hearty and very flavorful. It also makes great leftovers for the lunch the next day. One tip I have for making pasta dishes and adding vegetables, is to add “color”. In this recipe, we have green (asparagus & spinach), yellow (yellow squash & yellow bell pepper), orange (orange bell pepper), purple (red onion), brown (mushrooms) and red (sun dried tomatoes). You can get really creative with your dishes, looking for tasty veggies to add to your meal.

When making this on a boat, you can prep the veggies at home to save time and space. I also pre-cook or buy pre-cooked chicken breasts, to save time.

Let us know what you love to use in your primavera! Enjoy!  Ally

 

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Chicken Pasta Primavera with Spring Vegetables Yum
This is a hearty pasta recipe that uses all of my favorite Spring vegetables. Use any of your favorites to create a meal your family will love! Enjoy!
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to the instructions - al dente'. Drain, but do not rinse. Reserve a 1/4 cup of pasta water.
  2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add aspragus, bell pepper, red onion, mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute' until slightly tender and season with salt and pepper.
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  3. Lower heat to medium and add sundried tomatoes, cooked chicken, yellow squash and spinach. Cook for about 1 minute. Add cream and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  4. To thicken your sauce, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of pasta water and reduce down. At our house, my husband likes his sauce really thickened and so I use corn starch. I simply mix 1 tbsp of corn starch with 3 tbsp of water and stir in. Once you have reached the consistency you prefer, add the pasta and season again with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan and crusty bread.
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Cheese Tortellini with Asparagus & Mushrooms

italian food dinner

Cheese Tortellini Pasta Recipe

Fresh cheese tortellini pasta can be found in the cheese section of your grocery store.  While my Italian friends will only make fresh pasta from scratch, I find it much easier to just buy it freshly made. Our local Safeway and Whole Foods  both have great selections of fresh pasta.

Pasta is one of the easiest things to prepare on a boat , since you really just need two pots. One for boiling pasta and the other for the sauce.  When entertaining guests on a boat, the last thing you want to do is be spending time in the galley cooking all day. I would rather be sharing a glass of wine or a cocktail with my guests.  What I love about this cheese tortellini pasta recipe is that it is super easy and hearty for the hungry sailors at dinner. I love to serve this over the Holidays as it is also festive in color.

Since this pasta is so rich, I love to pair it with a mild green salad.

Enjoy!

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Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Asparagus & Mushrooms Yum
This pasta is very rich and hearty. Serve it with your favorite salad and crusty bread and you have the perfect dinner!
italian food dinner
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
people
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
people
italian food dinner
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and prociutto. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until prociutto is slightly crispy. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.
  2. Cook pasta according to directions and be sure to not over cook or boil too hard. Reserve a 1/2 cup of pasta liquid.
  3. Add whipping cream to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened slightly. Add asparagus and cook for another 3-5 minutes until tender. If you need to thicken the sauce more, add some of the reserved pasta liquid. Add pasta and shredded cheese to the cream mixture and blend well. Serve with crusty bread.
    cheese tortellini pasta recipe
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Smoked Salmon Pasta

easy pasta dishes

This smoked salmon pasta is probably the top favorite recipe I have been making over the past five years. It all started when I owned our wine shop, The Wine Alley and we started carrying a local smoked salmon.  Steve’s Hot Smoked Salmon, is made locally in Buckley. It’s unlike any other smoked salmon you will try. It’s extremely moist and super flavorful! You can get this at The Wine Alley or at some local grocery stores.

buckly smoked products

Don’t try and serve this simply as an appetizer by itself, unless you have more than one filet. It will disappear in literally five minutes as I learned the hard way.

How the Smoked Salmon Pasta came to life

Back to the smoked salmon pasta dish! Scott and I were working late one night and I didn’t have time to go to the grocery store, but I knew I had some salmon in the fridge at the wine shop. I decided to whip up a simple pasta dish and when I say simple, that’s exactly what this is! It only has a handful of ingredients and it is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. It also would be super easy to make on a boat! Enjoy!

 

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Smoked Salmon Pasta Yum
This is an all time favorite dish that I make for friends and family who rave over it. It is rich and hearty and super easy to make.
easy pasta dishes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
easy pasta dishes
Instructions
  1. Make pasta according to the directions. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute' onions until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with garlic salt, ground pepper and parsley. Add whipping cream, stirring frequently. To thicken, mix corn starch with water and gradually pour into cream mixture. If it gets too thick, then add some pasta water until you get the consistency you like. Add smoked salmon, breaking it up into bite size pieces. Stir in capers and cooked pasta. Stir in parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
    easy pasta dishes
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Pasta with Chicken, Kale & Mushrooms

galley recipes boating

Pasta with Chicken, Kale & Mushrooms

Pasta, chicken, kale, mushrooms and whatever else is in the fridge. The other day I found a recipe for chicken soup with mushrooms. It sounded delicious and I was planning on making it. However, Scott only eats soup on a cold blustery day (yes, this is true!) and it happened to be a nice sunny day.

I’m not one to waste ingredients, so I wondered, what else could I make? I’ve been trying to use up tons of my veggies in the fridge and so I decided to whip up a quick pasta! This is so easy and filling. You can easily make it on the boat for a crowd! Enjoy!

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Pasta with Chicken, Kale & Mushrooms Yum
There is a lot more in this pasta than chicken, kale and mushrooms. In fact, you could add any of your favorite veggies too! This is a very rich and hearty dish, perfect for cold boating season.
galley recipes boating
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
galley recipes boating
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to the directions, drain and set aside. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add onions and mushrooms. Saute' until tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, bacon and kale. Season with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add whipping cream and chicken and blend well. Cook for another 5 minutes until thickened. To make the sauce thicker, in a small bowl, whisk corn starch with 2 tbsp. of water and add to skillet. Add cooked pasta to the mixture and mix in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
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