cauliflower is used as the base to create addictive cheesy “breadsticks”, with an easy marinara-inspired sauce to serve with.
Who knew cauliflower would be among my most coveted vegetables??? It was never a veggie I paid any amount of attention to in my youth. It was sort of just, there. My mom would make it in her constant rotation of vegetables, most of which I hated, because I was an extremely picky eater. But cauliflower never really elicited such a strong as feeling as “hate,” cauliflower is perhaps among the most neutral of vegetables when it comes to emotions. No one hates cauliflower, but no one is like, cauliflower is my favourite vegetable of life. Except for now, when you’re grain free, gluten free, paleo, keto, low carb or whatever you call yourself– now you freaking love cauliflower and you always check the flyers to see when it’s sale so you can stock up (because who knew cauliflower could get so expensive too???) and you make many different types of dishes with this one vegetable and now I am rambling in the 2nd person about all the reasons why I love cauliflower.
The mildness of cauliflower is a benefit when you’re baking with it and turning it into rice or dough, because it makes it flexible to take on whatever particular flavours you want to give it. For these cheesy cauliflower breadsticks, you can easily load it up with garlic to give it a really robust garlic bread flavour, or else sprinkle in some rosemary and give it a more delicate flavour.
I won’t lie, these can be a bit tedious to make, but I never regret it, it’s always worth it. It’s such a treat though, it’s not something I’ll do every day let alone every weekend, but it’s a great appetizer or a late Sunday afternoon movie snack, if you’re feeling productive.
Fun fact: When I started the SCD diet and I had to try cauliflower for the first time, this is actually how I did it. Because I’m apparently very extra like that.
Without further adieu, the recipe below has become a staple in my house, and it’s also an extremely flexible recipe too– it’s very easy to swap in different spices and omit others depending on your personal preference, it’s actually kind of difficult to go wrong and create something other than entirely-delicious. Definitely tag me on Instagram @grainfreee if you try making these cheesy cauliflower breadsticks!
cheesy cauliflower breadsticks: ingredients
cauliflower breadsticks
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 tsp of oregano
- 3/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese (i opt for old cheddar, lactose free, sub your preferred cheese) + 3/4 cup extra for topping (i did a mix of parmesan and cheddar for the topping)
- 1/2 tsp of pepper
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
- 2 eggs
sauteed cherry tomato “marinara” sauce
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- salt + pepper to taste
cheesy cauliflower breadsticks: ingredients
cauliflower breadsticks
- clean and chop up the cauliflower into pieces. place the cauliflower in a pot filled water, and boil on the stovetop until it’s cooked.
- once cooked, drain the cauliflower and wring out the excess moisture using a cheese cloth or towel– you’ll see that you’re able to squeeze out quite a bit of excess water from the cauliflower.
- place the cauliflower in a bowl and mash it until there are no chunks and it’s quite smooth– you can also do this using the food processor. once it’s mashed up, add your spices, garlic, eggs, and finally, cheese, and mix well.
- once well combined, spread the cauliflower batter into a large rectangle on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- sprinkle the extra 3/4 cup of grated cheese on top.
- bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 25-35 mins or so, keep an eye until it’s golden brown cheesy goodness. be careful when cutting, allow it to cool before slicing it into strips and attempting to handle. it will be delicate! you can always throw it back in the oven for 10 minutes once it’s sliced in order to serve these hot.
sauteed cherry tomato “marinara” sauce
- clean your cherry tomatoes, and heat up a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- throw your tomatoes and chopped garlic in the pan, adding your spices, and allow the tomatoes to sautee until you can burst them.
- continue to sautee over medium heat until all the cherry tomatoes are burst and begin to soften, approx 10-15 minutes.
- turn down the heat and allow to simmer on low for 5-10 minutes or so.
- remove from heat and place in a small bowl to serve with the breadsticks.
cheesy cauliflower breadsticks with sautéed cherry tomato “marinara” sauce
Ingredients
cheesy cauliflower breadsticks
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 3/4 cup grated old cheddar + 3/4 cup grated for topping i did a mix of parmesan & cheddar for the topping
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
- 2 eggs
sauteed cherry tomato "marinara" sauce
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
cheesy cauliflower breadsticks
- clean and chop up the cauliflower into pieces. place the cauliflower in a pot filled water, and boil on the stovetop until it’s cooked.
- once cooked, drain the cauliflower and wring out the excess moisture using a cheese cloth or towel– you’ll see that you’re able to squeeze out quite a bit of excess water from the cauliflower.
- place the cauliflower in a bowl and mash it until there are no chunks and it’s quite smooth– you can also do this using the food processor. once it’s mashed up, add your spices, minced garlic, eggs, and finally, grated cheese, and mix or combining well in the food processor.
- once well combined, spread the cauliflower batter into a large rectangle on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- sprinkle the extra 3/4 cup of grated cheese on top.
- bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 25-35 mins or so, keep an eye until it's golden brown cheesy goodness. be careful when cutting, allow it to cool before slicing it into strips and attempting to handle. it will be delicate! you can always throw it back in the oven for 10 minutes once it's sliced in order to serve these hot.
sauteed cherry tomato "marinara" sauce
- clean your cherry tomatoes, and heat up a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- throw your tomatoes and chopped garlic in the pan, adding your spices, and allow the tomatoes to sautee until you can burst them.
- continue to sautee over medium heat until all the cherry tomatoes are burst and begin to soften, approx 10-15 minutes.
- turn down the heat and allow to simmer on low for 5-10 minutes or so.
- remove from heat and place in a small bowl to serve with the breadsticks.